My Hearts Content
by valleydew
Summary: It is the year 1533 and nothing is going right for the Lady Mary. She has been declared illegitimate, separated from her mother, forced to serve her sister. However it does not end there, Mary is soon going to be married to Tom Boleyn, who is very much like his father, the earl. but what about George, the one she once said she wished she could marry. George/Mary/OC, A/H
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character you might recognize from history.**

**Prologue**

It is the year 1526 and the early spring air was light cool and perfect for all occasions. For the occupants of Ludlow Castle, it was the perfect weather to go out and play after being cooped up indoors all winter. At the moment, two children ran carelessly around the gardens. The boy was not really a child, he was fifteen years old and he knew better than to run around and play such games as this, especially with this girl in particular. Not only was she of a different gender and younger than he, but also because she outranked him by far and the informalities between them should not exist.

He stopped running and paused to catch his breath. The girl was so full of energy, she could outrun him even at her age of ten. This made him think that she should have been born a boy indeed, for out of all the children born of her parents, she was the only one to survive infancy and grow strong. If she had been a boy, people would not be so quick to dismiss her.

He felt someone run into him from behind and wrap their hands around his waist. He laughed and turned around to look at her. He had experienced a growth spurt and now he looked down on her. Her beautiful blue eyes looked up at him shining with mirth, admiration, and just a bit of mischief.

"I caught you", She said in a light sing song voice

"Indeed you have princess. I am now at your service, ask me to do anything you want and I shall", He said as he fell to his knees in a grand gesture.

She laughed happily and then looked around to see if anyone was looking–they weren't– She came closer to him so that only he would hear what she had to say.

"You know, If I was not a princess and if I was not to marry Emperor Charles, I'd marry you George Boleyn" Having said this, she kissed his cheek and ran away.

George could say nothing. His entire face and neck were flushed as he stood up and watched her be led back indoors by Lady Salisbury. She was the Princess of England and he was nothing. She was destined to marry an Emperor, yet she had just told him he was her first choice. He knew that they were both just children and knew nothing of these matters, but if anyone was to ask young George what love was, he'll say it was what he felt when he was around his closest friend. He did not even remember when they had gone from mistress and companion to the closest of friends, all he knew was that he wished he was Emperor Charles or some rich king of somewhere. Thinking such thoughts, he whispered.

"And if I was worth more, I'd marry you Mary Tudor"

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There you have it, the prologue to my new story. I know I have another still unfinished, but you guys know I always try to finish my stories no matter what. The idea for this story just came to me and no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, it just did not let go. Anyways, I am so excited about this one, I've already written a few more chapters and I love the characters more and more. So please leave your reviews and subscribe, and chapter one would be up before you know it.

Peace and love

ValleyDew


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks so much for the feedback, here's chapter 1**

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**November 17, 1533**

**Hatfield Palace**

Elizabeth would not stop crying and Mary honestly did not know what else to do. She had crocked her, begged her, even sang for her but the princess would not respond to any of it. She was a stubborn babe and Mary could only see the irony in it. Two sisters, both not preferred by their father to succeed him, yet both sharing the most dormant personality trait as he. Elizabeth would not stop crying and Mary will not sign the oath.

"Hush now Beth, You'll have Lady Bryan tell our father that I am unkind to you" Mary told the pink face baby who did not seem to hear a word she had said. Of course not she was only a few months old, two months to be more specific. A few months ago, Mary was still princess, not favored, but she had the title. The day her father claimed to have married Lady Anne, Mary was waiting for the announcement that she had been stripped of her title and would be declared illegitimate; however no matter how much she had expected it, she still had a sliver of hope that her father loved and cared for her and would not in fact cause her pain, but Mary had been mistaken. Not only would King Henry strip her of her title and legitimacy, he would place her in the household of her baby sister in order to serve "the princess". It was a slap to the face and every day in Hatfield was a punishment.

"What is wrong Elizabeth?" Mary asked worriedly as she bounced her in her arms gently but immediately stopped when another lady entered the room.

"Lady Mary, the princess has been uncomfortable for long now yet you have refused to sooth her!" Lady Hatton said coming in to take Elizabeth from her. Mary merely glared at the woman who spoke to her as if she were just another lady from a low ranking noble family.

"What have you done to her?" Lady Hatton questioned. Mary tightened her fist and in the most careful voice she responded "I did nothing. As you all were entertaining your male guests I was awoken by my sister's cries. It is not even my turn to be with the princess"

Lady Hatton was a young woman of four and twenty with bright curly golden locks and deep blue eyes. It was she who was to sit with Elizabeth at this hour and Mary glared at the older woman with so much disdain. She was irresponsible and childish and cared for nothing other than acquiring a wealthy husband, it also did not help that she was a onetime mistress of Mary's father.

Lady Hatton ignored Mary's comments and went ahead to touch the forehead of the crying baby "Her head is hot. You have gone and made her sick you insolent wench!"

"How dare you speak to me in such a way?" Mary yelled "Have you no respect mistress Hatton"

"For a simple Lady of illegitimate birth, no I do not" Mary stared at the woman before her in shock. Elizabeth seemed to have been in shock too, for now she was silent and watching her sister with wide eyes. Lady Hatton smirked in self-satisfaction as she saw the look that crossed Mary's face.

Whatever look it was, it was gone in seconds. Mary took two steps towards Lady Hatton, her eyes never leaving hers and she slapped her so hard that the sound resonated in the large chambers that they were in.

"Lady Mary!"

Mary turned sharply to look at the horror stricken Lady Bryan.

"I would not condone being insulted by commoners" She simply said before walking away from the room.

Lady Bryan was yelling something about writing to the king and Queen about her insolent behavior, but Mary blocked her out and did not respond. Her heart was pounding so hard and blood was pumping through her veins at a furious speed. Her eyes were heavy with tears that she refused to shed until she was in the safety of her own rooms. Upon getting there, Mary fell to her knees and began to sob.

It was because of that whore that all this was happening to her. She was positive that she was the one that had convinced her father to punish her so and that was not surprising; however, what hurt most was that her father had followed through, even going as far as keeping her away from her mother, the only person who loved and cared for her. Mary's heart hurt. She honestly did not know for how long she could remain strong, or how long she could take the insults and condescending looks, or how long she could pretend that her entire life was not falling apart and accept that there was indeed no hope for her.

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Three days later, the news had already gotten to the king and he had sent somebody to speak to the Lady Mary.

Mary walked silently behind Lady Bryan looking gaunt and thin. She had not eaten for three days now. Lady Bryan was determined to break Mary's stubborn streak and insisted that she come out of her room for meals, but Mary refused. Before now, her meals would be brought to her rooms, however because of her behavior against the lady Hatton, Lady Bryan believed it was time Mary got off her high horse and accept that she was just like the other ladies at Hatfield. The older woman obviously saw the change in Mary and it worried her, but she believed that Mary would eat before she starved herself to death. The girl had to relent at some time, right?

Lady Bryan led Mary to the solar and waiting there was a man from the king's court. He was tall, with dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. His dress was expensive and well-tailored, but it was expected of someone of his station. Mary hardened her gaze for she disliked this man most of all. To her, it would be better to face any other person, his father or uncle, or even the dreaded Sir Francis Bryan would be welcome. For they she had always hated, but he, she had once loved.

"You may leave us Lady Bryan" He spoke softly. Lady Bryan did not seem so sure, but the older woman nodded before she dipped into a small curtsy and left the two alone.

"How are you Lady Mary?" He asked carefully. He knew that Mary had seen better days and was saddened to see her look so ill.

"What message does my father have for me, Rochford?" Mary ignored his greeting and George smiled bitterly. He was expecting such behavior from Mary.

"Your father sends you a letter" George said and placed it on the table beside two large rolls of parchments that Mary noticed to be the Acts of Succession and Supremacy. He had come to plead with her to sign again.

"His Majesty, the king is displeased with your actions and he says that if only you would take the oath, you will be free of your responsibilities and welcomed back to court as his daughter" Mary's eyes were concentrating on a painting above his head. She wasn't listening because she had heard these words over and over again. If her father would recognize her as his daughter if she took the oath, what was she now?

"Mary, would you not even listen to me" George asked gently. No response.

He walked closer to the former princess and Mary cast her gaze to the ground. She was not going to look at him.

"I can see that you are suffering. You were not raised to serve anyone Mary, out of anyone I would know that." A bitter smile appeared on his lips "Your father is someone who can be easily persuaded by the right person. I'm sure the queen can eventually talk him into placing you back into the succession after their heirs" Mary scoffed.

"The only Queen of England that I am aware of would much prefer me to take the throne after my father." She looked at him this time. "The king's mistress does not need to intercede on my behalf, I am perfectly fine. And you, you need to stop bringing that _thing_ to me, for I would not sign it. I will not condemn my soul"

George flushed at the name she had called his sister, but he could never get angry at her, not for that reason anyway.

"Mary, why can't you see that you would dam yourself either way? The king is arresting people and he will put them to their deaths. He does not want to arrest his own daughter-"

"He would never!" Mary interrupted. George sighed and it was quiet in the room for a few seconds.

"They would soon stop sending me to you as I am not getting the job done. He would send someone else that would be less pleasant, like my father or worse my brother" Mary looked up at him. She had never met his brother, but she knew of him and she knew he could give the Earl of Wiltshire a run for his money.

"I would give whoever is next the same response. I will not take the oath and I am not sorry for hitting the lady Hatton" George nodded. A sign that he knew she was not going to relent, she never did.

"Have you not been eating Mary" He asked quietly. He moved closer to her and made to place his hand on her shoulder, but Mary moved away from his touch. George knew it was best if he left now. He did not know why he thought Mary would eventually stop being angry at him. In all honesty he had no control over anything, yet she seemed to blame him for everything.

"I am to leave for France in a fortnight. I do not know when I would see you next, but I do hope you take care of yourself Mary. It would bring me much happiness if I am to come back and see you at court, happy and being waited on." Mary said nothing

"You would not wish me a safe journey then?" Still nothing.

George sighed and walked back to the table. He picked up the parchment he had laid out, leaving the letter for Mary. Once he was ready to take his leave he looked back at her and saw that she was not looking at him, but at something that was supposedly interesting on the floor.

"Goodbye Mary" He said and he began to make his way to the door

"God keep you…" Mary said quietly as he reached the door. A smile appeared on his face and he turned back to give her a small nod

"And you" He said before leaving. When Mary was alone in the room, she struggled to hold the tears that were threatening to spill. She walked to the table and picked up the letter from her father and opened it up to read.

Nothing he said was new to her, she moved over to the fireplace and tossed the letter that had her father berating her and calling her selfish, while also threatening that if she ever hurt his princess and true English rose things would be worse for her.

It was a pity really, once she had been his pearl.

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You know what to do, leave your feedback and the next chappy will be up soon


	3. Chapter 2

**Hampton Court**

**Two weeks later**

Lady Eleanor Luke was a beautiful woman and boy did he loved beautiful women, in fact he was currently betrothed to one, a Parker, he could not quite remember her name just now. There were all the same, these women, if they were not Catherine's, they were Eleanor's, or Elizabeth, Mary, Jane–Yes, Jane. That was her name. That wasn't his concern just now though. If he was staring at Mistress Luke because he delighted in her company he would have had his way with her by now, that was never a problem, women to him were like dogs, pet them in all the right places and they shall never leave your side.

No, Lady Luke was not a conquest, she was a problem and it was his job to deal with problems.

The lady in question began to make her way towards the door he stood next to and with two others of the queen's ladies at her side.

"Lady Eleanor" He called, stopping her in her tracks and she turned and immediately curtsied.

"My Lord" The other two women curtsied before continuing on.

"How did you suppose no one would find out about your secret?" He asked her. Lady Eleanor froze over. She had never wanted anyone in the queens family to know she had been with the king, she had tried so hard to be discreet, even the king himself, for he did not want to cause the Queen any distress during her pregnancy.

"My Lord, I.."

"We searched your chambers this morning" He added.

Now, Lady Eleanor was completely confused. Why was there need to check her chambers, what was the queens brother talking about?

"My Lord?"

"The jewels were found" He said, his cold eyes bearing down on her and she felt her entire being tremble

"Sir, What Jewe-"

"You did not hide them well enough. A pity really." He smirked, his blue eyes shining as he thoroughly enjoyed tormenting the young lady before him, and his handsome face did nothing to hide the monster she thought him to be.

"Do you know what happens to thieves Lady Eleanor?' He smiled wildly "We cut off their fingers"

"My Lord, I swear–"

"Tut tut. No swearing now, my pet" He gently touched her cheek, wiping away the tears that trickled down her face "I am a kind man, I shan't do any of that to you– that is unless you disagree with my terms"

"N..no" She quietly sobbed

"Good. You see" He put his hands underneath her chin and lifted it up so she was looking at him, "All you have to do is leave court and never return"

"Leave court?"

"And never return"

"My Lord, I stole no such jewels, I swear" She pleaded

"And if reported who would believe your word against mine. After all, _Lady Eleanor_, no one could accuse _you_ of being innocent"

He had done it. Red faced and looking like she was about to pass out then and there, Lady Eleanor Luke quickly walked away from him, and he hoped away from their lives forever.

"What did you do to the poor girl, Tom?" Tom turned around to see his father, the Earl of Wiltshire give him a mischievous smile, the same one that he had inherited from him.

"Just running a few errands for my dear sister, the queen" Thomas Boleyn laughed as he put an arm around his eldest son's shoulders. Tom was his pride and Joy, in fact he was proud of all his children. His oldest daughter was queen, both his sons were members of the privy council, his younger son, George was so favored by the king that he was given a title in his own right, and Mary was the life of the court. Thomas Boleyn was quiet a happy man.

"Come, we are to meet with your brother and your uncle in his chambers" He said as the two made their way through the court.

"Did my dear brother succeed in getting the Lady Mary to sign the oath?" Tom asked as they turned a corner and Norfolk's' men opened the doors to let them in without them pausing to enter.

"I'm afraid she is still proving difficult" Wiltshire answered and Tom scoffed

"Is it that she is difficult or your son is not assertive enough, he is still blinded by childish desires?"

"I heard that, Brother" Tom entered his uncle's office and saw his brother sitting there beside his uncle and sisters with a scowl on his face.

"It was not supposed to be said in secret, Georgie" Tom said grinning as he took a seat beside Mary giving her a kiss on the cheek in greeting.

"Your Majesty" He directed at Anne

"My lord Shrewsbury" Anne smiled at him

"Your Majesty would be glad to know that I have taken care of our little problem" Tom informed her

Anne sighed in relief and smiled.

"Thank you Tom"

George looked between his siblings and saw the understanding between them and immediately asked about what the problem had been

"Nothing to worry about George, Tom handled it" Anne told him not wanting to say further simply because they enjoyed it when he was out of the loop, and he tried so hard to figure things out and keep them in line. George had always been the saint in the family; St. George they called him sometimes, just like the patron saint of England. He tried to be honest and fair in his ways and it was good because he was the one they sent out to negotiate with their enemies, for everyone knew of George's honest ways. Their father had always said it was because he was the only child not raised in France.

"And I'm sure, like he handles all things" Mary added laughing. George turned to his brother with his eyebrows raised and a very unimpressed look on his face.

"What did you do?" He asked patronizingly and all his siblings burst out into giggles.

"I believe he sent the Lady Eleanor packing" Thomas Boleyn said

"How?" Mary asked trying hard not to look at George's frown for fear she would burst out Laughing again.

"Oh you know, she had stolen Jewels from the queen and if she didn't want to get her fingers cut off, her only other option was to leave court" Tom said and Anne and Mary laughed again, even their uncle smiled despite himself.

"That's barbaric" George muttered and Tom rolled his eyes at his younger brother.

He was going to say something to him, but the Duke of Norfolk cleared his throat and everyone fell silent and faced him. It was time for the meeting to start.

"Christmas tide is coming upon us and with it I wish for the queen to give the king some good news, how far are you on making that happen, Anne"

The queen turned to face her uncle, all mirth and jokes were aside now, the tone in the room had changed and had become a bit tense. These family meetings were never times to come and joke, they were the times when the Boleyn's planed and looked for ways to further advance themselves.

"Tom has aided me in getting rid of the obstacle uncle. By Christmas, I too pray that I am with child again"

Norfolk nodded.

"You must get the king into your bed again Anne, it is very important that we are on his mind during such a festive season"

"How is Elizabeth, George?" Mary asked her brother who had just returned from Hatfield not too long ago

"She is well, growing bigger and stronger everyday" George informed them

"It is a sign that Anne can bear healthy babies and the king would see that healthy boys would follow" Thomas Boleyn said and everyone nodded in agreement hoping that it would be so, for they all knew that they were only truly safe when they had given the king a male heir.

"And the Lady Mary?" Tom asked smiling at the uncomfortable look that crossed his brother's face.

"She refused to sign again" Their father said and George nodded slowly

"Yes, she has refused to take the oath, but if we only showed her kindness–" George began

"I will show that little brat nothing of the sort until she has recognized me as her Queen!" Anne snapped

"Yes, but if we could only do something nice for her…. Anne, you could plead with the king to allow her visit her mother just once and this way she would see that you are kind and mean no harm to her"

"You can't be that thick, can you George?" Tom said, slightly irritated with his brother for he had always been a sympathizer of Catherine and her daughter. "The king does not keep them apart because he is cruel, he does so because the minute Catherine gets a hold of her child, there is nothing stopping her from waging war against us"

George sighed. He knew that Catherine of Aragon was the daughter of two great monarchs, and she could easily take up arms against them and he knew this was the king's greatest fear, but he also knew that Catherine would not wage a war for she loved the king and she loved England.

"Nothing else is working, punishing her by making her a servant only hardens her heart towards Anne and that does not help our cause" George said

Anne scoffed, "That was her own father's idea and frankly I don't mind it. The Lady Mary can rot scrubbing Elizabeth's floors for all I care"

"It looks like it is the tower she is heading to" Tom added

"Hush now!" Thomas Boleyn said sharply looking at his two eldest children "She might only be the Lady Mary, but she is still the king's daughter"

"And I am Queen" Anne said as if reminding her father

"That you are Anne, but do not forget that her mother is still living and her cousin is emperor. At this moment we must have her sign the oath. Having a hold on the Lady Mary is our goal, for if she does sign and gains the kings favor, she would be a very important person at court," Thomas Boleyn said while giving Anne a cold glare

"And by the way, my dear Queen, you have not put a son in the cradle yet. I suggest you watch yourself" Norfolk added.

Anne remained silent for the rest of the meeting.

"The king is going on progress soon and has planned to stop by to see Elizabeth, Perhaps I will approach her then" Thomas Boleyn told them " Tom is right, she needs someone who would not give her any room to talk back" his gaze was directed at George, who looked away from him.

He told Mary this was bound to happen.

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**Soooo what do you lovely people think? This was my introduction to Tom Boleyn, if you like him so far, then you are in luck because you will be seeing a lot of him. I have truly enjoyed writing his character so far. Just a note to you Anne Boleyn fans, fear not, she is not the villain in my story. You will clearly see opposing sides and their thoughts towards one another. **

**So leave your feedback and the next chapter will be up soon.**

**P.S I posted links on my profile page of the actors I envisioned playing the three main characters. Everyone else is according to the show. **


	4. Chapter 3

**The More**

**November 1533**

The fireplace burned lowly in the cold dark rom. Lady Darrell, wrapped in a wool cloak put another layer on top of the older woman sitting by the dying fire. They were running out of money and they were trying to manage as best as they could. The woman seated before her with the vacant look in her eyes had been through times like this before. When her first husband died she lived a simple life like this, but she had thrived despite it all. This time it was different. She was a mother forbidden from seeing her child ever again, much less communicate with her. She knew of Mary's position in Hatfield and it caused her to weep. Her daughter was a true born princess, her grandparents from both sides were great monarchs and she was serving the granddaughter of a gentry.

Katherine did not even think of her new found low position she had only Mary in mind and she had long since resigned to the fact that she might die here at the more not recognized as queen by her husband, but by God. She only worried for Mary whose years were still many on this earth.

"Your Majesty, would you not eat today?" Lady Darrell asked her, concern laced in her voice.

Katherine shook her head and pointed to something on her desk. Lady Darrell knew what it was and she sighed.

"Your Majesty, you cannot starve yourself" she begged Katherine

"I do not stave myself, Lady Darrell, I fast for a good cause" Katherine told her simply "Please bring my purse"

Lady Darrell knew better than to argue with the woman before her and did as she was told.

"My Daughter has nothing else in this world and everything has been taken away from me" She said as Lady Darrell handed her the small blue velvet purse with a golden string, a gift she had received from her mother in law upon her arrival. Katherine sighed at the memory of the sweet woman that bore Henry and she wondered why he had strayed so far away from his mother's teachings.

"I leave her this so that when I die, she will not think her mother forgot her as her father has"

Lady Darrell looked on at the old queen with so much pity that she tried so very hard to contain her tears.

"My Lady, you know the princess would never think that" She said trying to console her, but Katherine said nothing as she put the few coins she had been saving into the purse. She tied the golden strings and then looked up at Lady Darrell, the younger woman was not surprised to see all fire gone from her blue eyes.

"You must promise to give this to her when my time comes"

Lady Darrell held in a sob so she could speak clearly, "Do not speak of death, your Majesty"

Katherine looked at the weak fire that did nothing to keep her warm. What was the point of hoping anymore? What sort of miracle could she expect?

"Not speaking about it does not keep it away, Lady Darrell"

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**Hatfield Palace**

**November 1533**

Mary sat up suddenly. It was only a dream, a very terrible dream, but a dream none the less and it was not true. Her mother was well, dispirited, but well. Chapuys had said so during his last visit to her; there was no way her mother would die, she was not a sickly woman and Mary knew her mother would not be so cruel to leave her alone when she needed her the most.

Taking a deep breath, she looked around her room. It was small and boring, hardly fit for the king's bastard daughter, however she was being taught the lesson of knowing her place and so Mary didn't complain. It was not what she was used to growing up, but honestly Mary's room was the least of her concerns. Nevertheless, at this moment the room felt a bit too confining. Mary felt as though she could not breathe and so she got out of bed, put on her dark cloak and walked out.

She found herself in the main entrance of the palace standing infort of an open window. The weather was cold and rainy and Mary stood there with her eyes closed taking cool refreshing breaths. She did not know how long she was standing there for when she heard someone say her name. She quickly turned to see a girl about her age, she was a servant and one that Mary knew and liked.

"Margaret?"

Margaret lifted the candle she was holding so Mary could see her face properly in the dark.

"My Lady" The young girl quickly curtsied and went to close the window before turning to look at Mary

"My lady, you would sure give yourself a chill if you keep standing here, please return to your room so I may relight the fires"

The thought of returning to her room put her off and Mary quickly shook her head. In that instant her stomach rumbled and she looked at Margaret who gave her a slight frown.

"You did not eat supper" It was not a question and Mary smiled. Margaret was the kindest person at Hatfield and if possible her only friend here.

"Is there anything left in the kitchens?" Mary asked her and Margaret nodded leading the way to the kitchen. She set a stool for Mary to sit and brought her a plate of bread and cheese with a couple slices of meat. Once she set the plate before Mary she brought them both cups and filled it with warm ale. Once she was done eating Mary put her plate down.

"I dreamt of my Mother" Mary began "I miss her so much and only wish I could write to her." Margaret said nothing as she watched Mary get lost in her thoughts.

"When I was younger, I would visit court and my mother would come to my chambers and give me the tightest hug." Mary smiled at the memory "I would complain that I could not breathe and she would tell me that it was a hug for every day we were separated. She would kiss my cheek, pick me up and twirl me around as she sang my favorite Spanish song." Tears had begun to form in Mary's eyes and she wiped them away quickly "I know she is dispirited and ill. All this has taken its toll on her and all I want is to be able to hug her as tight as I can before she leaves this earth. My fear is…my fear is that I will not be able to see her before she dies. I fear I will never see my mother again" She let out a sob and quickly wiped her face.

Margaret herself had moisture in her eyes.

"I thank you Margaret for being so kind to me and for listening to me."

"I'm always here to listen, my Lady. Thank God the king comes tomorrow, you can talk to him about seeing your mother. Perhaps he would change his mind" She said

Mary gave her a sad smile. If only she knew her father well.

"Perhaps" Mary said.

Margaret stood up.

"Come, My Lady you must go back to bed, the court arrives tomorrow, you want to be bright eyed and well rested. I'm sure everything would be fine. God's plan for us are never of evil, the good book says so"

Mary thanked her again and Margaret handed her a candle so she could walk back to her room easily. When Mary got back to her room, she did not go back to sleep. The courts arrival tomorrow was not bringing her any sort of hope or joy. She knew that only trouble came when her father and his entourage were near, trouble for her at least.

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That's chapter 3. I hope to get more reviews just so I know if you guys like it or not. Thanks to those that have reviewed and followed this story I really appreciate it! Next chapter, the court is in Hatfield.


	5. Chapter 4

Hatfield Palace

November 1533

They arrived at noon and Mary watched them as they settled and went about court life. She was watching them from the windows of her room and sometimes she would sneak around the halls to see who was still a member of her father's court. Many of these people Mary had not seen in years, others she did not even recognize. The thing was that if she had been walking around freely amongst them most would not even recognize her because Mary had only been a child the last time she was at court.

Mary spent most of the day in her room. No one required her presence and Lady Bryan had made it clear that she was not welcome when they presented Elizabeth to the King and Queen, not that she wanted to be there.

The day passed by uneventfully and by the time night came, most people were in the great hall for the banquet in honor of the princess. Mary sat in her room trying to read her bible for the sake of doing something, but there was no point. Her mind was wondering and she could not concentrate. The music and laughter from everywhere else in the castle was getting to her and Mary eventually put the bible down and decided to leave her room. Lady Bryan had said nothing about going to the banquet and so Mary left her room wearing a simple black dress and headed to the great hall. She did not want to join the festivities per say, what had been bugging her all day was the fact that her father was here as well and he did not even care to see her, just to make sure she was well.

Mary kept herself in the shadows as she walked through the halls. She saw the other girls she worked with giggle and follow some of the gentlemen of the court around. She frowned in disgust and continued on her way to the great hall. Upon getting there, Mary stood at the entranced and looked around trying to find her father. Currently two poets stood in front of the dais reciting poem they had composed about the princess Elizabeth and she saw her father, seated in all his glory and kingly composure, with his mistress by his side looking just as radiant as she listened to the people praise her child.

Her father looked well. He was healthy and he looked happy. He laughed with his courtiers and occasionally he would kiss Anne on the cheek or her hand. Mary felt her heart constrict as she wondered what she had ever done to her father to be forgotten as so.

"Mary" a familiar voice brought her out of her thoughts and Mary turned around only to come face to face with George Boleyn.

George watched with curiosity as the emotions in her eyes changed from hurt, surprise and then to something unreadable. She looked very guarded and he wondered what she was thinking before he interrupted her; he only wished she would let him in again.

"I thought you were in France" She said seeming very uninterested about his presence.

George smiled.

"I am to go yes, but not until the New Year. I only told you I was leaving because I hoped I might hear kind words from you" He watched her closely for a reaction, but there was nothing.

"Deceitful, as expected. You are after all a Boleyn" George frowned. She would always hate him because of what family he came from.

"And Proud" A voice came and George and Mary looked up to see Thomas Boleyn, The earl of Wiltshire stand beside them. He put an arm around his son's shoulders as if to show that he was proud of him and Mary only looked at George in disgust, causing the young man to gaze at the ground irritated at his father.

"I assume I am not interrupting anything important here" He said looking pointedly at George before turning to Mary, a sick smile on his face "Your uncle requires you presently. You will find him up in the gallery"

He was dismissing George so he could talk to her. Mary knew something like this could happen. She took a deep breath, not really acknowledging George's farewell and faced the earl with the most serious and confident expression she could muster.

"Time is running out _Lady_ Mary" Thomas Boleyn was one of the few that really loved to remind her of her decline. He smiled and continued, "The king will not keep sending his men to get you to sign the act, soon he would send the guard to take you to the tower"

"His majesty would never arrest me" Mary shot back at him, keeping the anger out of her voice and trying to sound as confident as possible.

"He wouldn't? Would he arrest his dear friend Sir Thomas More?" Boleyn asked patronizingly

Mary began to shake her head. Would he?

"As we speak he is sitting in the tower, his trial date has been set and if we find him guilty of treason, well…" He sent her that sick smile of his and Mary tried her best to control her emotions. She was absolutely shocked to hear this. Her father would surely not have Sir Thomas executed.

"Sir Thomas more is a dear friend of the king's. His Majesty would never-"

"Oh trust me, the king feels bad, but the law is the law and very soon, the king would not be able to bend the law anymore, not even for his bastard daughter" Mary didn't trust herself to respond at that point. She glared at the earl of Wiltshire with all the hate in the world and the man seemed to think it was funny.

"You should think about that while you go around doing your chores" He chuckled and upon feeling a presence behind him, he walked away.

Standing there and glaring dagger at Thomas Boleyn's back was Eustace Chapuys the emperors English Ambassador and Mary's friend.

"Ambassador" Mary greeted quickly composing herself. Chapuy's kissed her hand and whispered "princess" in greeting.

"Forgive me for not visiting in a while, but I bring news from your mother"

Mary stiffened at hearing that. She was scared that he would confirm her fears, or worse her dream. But if her dream had come true would the court be celebrating? A quiet thought in her head told her that it was possible.

"How is my mother, Ambassador?" Mary asked

Chapuys sighed and shook his head slightly "She is ill. Her will to fight has gone and she speaks of death constantly" Mary could not help the tears that came to her eyes "All she speaks about is seeing you again. I have pleaded with the king to allow you to visit her, but he is adamant about keeping you apart."

Mary only nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her mother was dying and she could not be with her.

"I am truly sorry. Your cousin the emperor, is looking for ways to bring you both back to Spain. We can only hope that the king would be agreeable" Mary nodded, but she was not listening anymore. She thanked the Ambassador and turned around. So lost in her thoughts, she could not really hear the music and laughter around her. What was there to laugh about? She felt eyes on her and Mary lifted her tear filled eyes and met her father's blank ones. He sat there staring at her with no expression on his face. She assumed he saw her speaking to Chapuy's and he knew that she knew about her mother.

Mary curtsied to the king and Henry acknowledged her with a small nod and then looked away. That was all she got after he had not seen her for almost three years; Mary felt like screaming. She quickly left the great hall and headed back to her rooms. This time not walking in the shadows, in fact not really looking at where she was going.

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Tom Boleyn, the earl of Shrewsbury and his good friend Sir Thomas Wyatt passed their time during the banquet not singing praise about the princess Elizabeth, but seeking entertainment elsewhere. At the moment, they kept their eyes on a group of three women, who were not unaware of the attention they were getting, One of the women was Jane Parker, Tom's betrothed, and the other two were ladies of the queens entourage.

"You have a very pretty thing there Boleyn, I envy you" Wyatt said looking at Jane Parker

Tom smiled as he looked at the women, but his eyes were not on his future wife, they were on her companion. Jane would look at Tom and giggle and he always knew when to pay her attention, but once she looked away he would catch the eye of the tall brunette beside her.

"She on the other hand I pity" Wyatt said and Tom chuckled

"Do not pity Jane, she is not as innocent as she looks" Tom told him and Wyatt shook his head

"And the dark haired one, Do you know her?" Tom nodded.

"We are old _friends_"

Thomas Wyatt laughed. "I see what you mean. And you would like to be reacquainted"

"You do not mind distracting my pretty wife to be, do you?" Thomas Wyatt had no problem doing just that, it was not a new thing for him to distract Jane when Tom would find another one of her lady friends to keep him entertained for the night.

He reached into his pocket and brought out a folded piece of parchment. "It is a good thing I wrote a new poem today, I'm sure she would love to hear it."

The two men walked towards the women and they immediately curtsied. Jane made to go stand beside Tom, but Thomas Wyatt grabbed her by the hand bringing her to his side

"I have a new poem I think you would like Mistress Parker, come with me so I can read it to you, you know how much I value your opinion." Jane looked at Tom who only shrugged and at her as Thomas Wyatt led her away. Once they were lost in the crowd, Tom tuned his eyes on the beautiful brunette in front of him. The girl smirked at him and then lowered her eyes seductively.

"Walk with me" he said taking her hand and leading her out of the great hall.

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They both laughed as they walked down the deserted hall. The girl on his arm whose name was Bessy was quite the charmer. It didn't mean he didn't like Jane, he thought Jane to be very agreeable as well, Tom just didn't want to be a married man just yet. He didn't want to have to hide his liaisons and he didn't want to bother about children. He already started trying to sneak around Jane's prying eye, by having Thomas or someone else distract her, but Jane was not stupid and she knew what it was that he was doing. It didn't matter now, but when they were married he actually had to consider her feelings.

The two stopped in the middle of the hallway and Tom brought Bessy close to his body and kissed her. She spun out of his arms laughing, turning this into a game and he grinned. She ran forward, edging him on to come and catch her. He tried to grab her hand, but she quickly turned the corner and then not paying very close attention he went the same way as well and bumped into someone.

Tom held the girl who walked into him at arm's length. Their eyes met and Tom saw that she was close to tears. Her beautiful face was pale and her cheeks darkened because of how close they were. Her eyes, though filled with moisture, were a deep blue and the black dress she wore accentuated it perfectly and she hid what looked like dark brown hair under a hood.

"What ails you young lady?" He asked letting her go and she took a few steps back looking at him. Before she could respond and tell the stranger that she was fine, a voice interrupted them.

"My Lord Shrewsbury?" Bessy had come back when she saw Tom was not behind her.

Tom on the other had did not respond to her, he was caught off guard by how the blank look on the girls face turned to one of hatred the minute she heard his title.

"Excuse me" She murmured and walked away quickly. Tom watched her retreating back and frowned. What did he ever do to her?

"Why were you speaking to the lady Mary?" Bessy asked him. Tom felt like he had just been thrown off his horse by a lance coming at him with full force.

"That's the Lady Mary?" He asked wide eyed and Bessy nodded

"The king's bastard, Lady Mary?" She nodded again and he chuckled. Well, that answered that question.

"That's why she looked as though she wanted to cut my head off" he chuckled and put his arms around Bessy's waist "She looks a real fright" He said

"That's not the half of it" Bessy said

"Really?" His interest in Bessy peaked again as he got her to spend most of the night telling him all about the unpleasant lady Mary.

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**Mary has finally met the other Boleyn boy. HA! See what I did there?...not funny? Okay. Thank you so much Twelve13 and HermioneandMarcus for reviewing the last chapter, I hope you guys like this one as well. **

**Thanks for reading. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Hatfield**

**November 1533**

She sat by the window seat minding her own business. Two other ladies attended to the princess Elizabeth and occasionally Mary would lift her eyes from the pamphlet she was reading to see if the princess was okay.

"Are you not the most beautiful princess? Yes you are, yes you are" One of the ladies cooed at Elizabeth and Mary had to try very hard not to roll her eyes. It's not like she didn't agree that her sister was beautiful she was, with her fair hair, pale skin and bright blue eyes, she was the image of their paternal grandmother. Mary was happy Elizabeth looked nothing like a Boleyn and was Tudor through and through.

The Ladies continued speaking in their annoying condescending voices and Mary almost laughed when Elizabeth responded to them by giving them a blank stare.

The next few minutes went by uneventfully as Mary continued reading Utopia by Sir Thomas More. Her mind kept drifting between reading his words on paper and thinking about what he was doing presently in the tower. Mary sighed deeply. Sir Thomas was right about enclosure and the other issues he talked about in Utopia and Mary thought her father really needed to do something to help the poor people of England, but the thing was that her father was not very concerned about the people right now, he was more concerned about his supposed queen and them loving and accepting her.

"Poor sir Thomas. God grant him mercy" She whispered

Just then the doors opened and Mary saw the two ladies who had been playing with Elizabeth stand and curtsey, she got up too, but did not curtsey as she saw who came in.

Tom Boleyn simply ignored the other ladies in the room, who were blushing fiercely, he looked at Mary and smirked at the unreadable look she sent his way.

"Lady Mary"

Mary barely bent her knees to curtsey.

"I see that you know my name now" She said in a bored voice.

Tom smiled as he held her gaze, "At last we finally meet"

A noise came from the cradle and both turned their heads to see Elizabeth sitting up and smiling at them. The girl was smart enough to know what people deserved her attention.

"Is that my most favorite niece?" Tom said going to pick her up. Elizabeth laughed and Mary was shocked to hear his voice change so drastically. It was less menacing and more light and friendly. Plus, it was not condescending as the other two ladies were when they were talking to Elizabeth.

Mary took this chance and glanced at the two women and saw that their cheeks were red and they both looked as if they might faint as they watched the viscount have a moment with his niece. Really? Did they not see that the man was still the same cold hearted prick? He was a Boleyn for Christ's sake, Elizabeth was his kin and she was the only person he would show this side to.

Tom handed Elizabeth to one of the other ladies who stood frozen because her hands had grazed his. Mary had to wonder where her dignity had run away to.

"Soon her brothers and sister would fill this household" He said turning back to Mary.

_She hoped not_. He smirked because he could read her thoughts without her giving him a clue.

"You do not wish it" It wasn't a question. Mary stared blankly at him and said nothing. She was not going to let anybody intimidate her.

"The queen requires your presence and I am to escort you to her"

Mary wanted to roll her eyes but didn't. She should have expected Anne would try and speak with her

"Could she not send her message through you?'

Tom frowned. "Are you denying your queens request?" His features had changed quickly from that of amusement to one of seriousness, it was quite scary actually. Despite his look though, Mary did not change her stand.

"I would never deny _my_ queen." She said wondering if he would catch on to that. He did and his frown only deepened "I will go and see Elizabeth's mother. Lord Shrewsbury would you lead the way"

Tom could not believe the young women before him. He had expected this because he heard about how stubborn she was, however he was determined he would change that. He took a few steps towards her, getting way too close for Mary's comfort. She had to lift her chin up so she could meet his cold blue eyes and what she saw in them scared her. Here was not a man that would let her ride all over him; he was firm, determined and dangerous.

"You will learn to respect Anne as Queen" He said in a low steely voice before walking past her. Mary let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding and took a few short breaths to get her heart rate down. Her eyes met the two ladies who eyed her with a mixture of jealousy and hatred. She frowned at them, took one moment to compose herself, and followed the viscount out of the room.

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"I'm sure you are not enjoying your time here, Lady Mary" Thomas Boleyn spoke to her.

Mary looked at the older man who was seated beside his brother in law. Anne, the "queen" was seated to her uncles left and Tom stood behind her.

Mary looked at Sir Thomas Boleyn in the eye and confidently replied "It is only temporary"

The older man smirked and Mary could not help but notice that both his sons had inherited that same stupid smirk.

"Indeed. If you do not sign the acts of supremacy and succession, as you have so decided, your next lodgings would be the tower of London. Perhaps next door to Bishop Fisher or your friend Sir Thomas – That is if they are still alive then"

Mary tightened her jaw, "Your threats do not concern me. The king in his right mind would never execute Bishop Fisher or Sir Thomas More"

"–In his right mind? What are you insinuating" Norfolk asked moving forward in his seat.

Mary was caught off guard for a second, she looked at Anne and saw the cold glare she sent her way. She relaxed and sent Anne one off her own.

"I mean the king would not do such a thing. Whatever he calls me today, I am still his daughter and he would never put me in the tower. I will not condemn my soul and sign those documents"

"Then you condemn yourself either way." Tom said and Mary looked up at him and saw he still had the hard look in his eyes. She didn't respond.

"Lady Mary, you do know that the king would gladly welcome you back to court and recognize you as his daughter if you just sign." Anne said, she was clearly frustrated.

"Would I be his bastard daughter or his legitimate daughter?" Mary asked her in a sickly sweet voice

"You know the answer to that question" Anne snapped

"I am sorry, but I cannot insult my mother." Mary said "I have duties to return to, may I go?"

Anne nodded stiffly and Mary gave them a barely there curtsey before leaving the room.

"That incorrigible girl!" Anne exploded standing up and walking the length of the room.

"Relax sister, we will get her" Tom said.

"She loves to test my temper" Anne continued walking back and forth as if that would solve everything "Father, why do you smile?"

Thomas Boleyn only smiled the more. Anne stopped pacing and both she and her brother's eyes met. That smile meant their father had an idea, a big one. It was the same smile that he had when he asked Anne to seduce the king.

"She as hope" He said "Hope that one day her mother would return and she would be reinstated as heir apparent. Hope that the people would rise up and fight for her claim"

"That won't happen" Anne said steadily.

"OH, don't be so sure, niece, the lady Mary has followers who have been causing the king a bit of concern, not to mention her powerful cousin" Norfolk said.

"What we have to do is crush that hope" Thomas Boleyn said

"How do we do that?" Anne asked as she took a seat curious to know what plan her father had in mind.

"Simple" He said as if the answer was obvious "We marry her off"

His children continued staring at him

"We marry her to someone who will quench that fire that she has, someone we can trust, one of us"

"George?" Anne questioned

"No, that would be like handing a sweet-meat to a child" Thomas Boleyn dismissed " I was thinking Tom"

Tom's eyes widened and so did Anne's.

"What about Jane? Tom asked

"Jane we will give to George. She loses nothing, she would still be married to a viscount. I'm sure master Parker won't mind" Thomas told them, a huge smile on his face. Proud of himself that he and thought of such a brilliant plan. And who was to say, perhaps the king might forgive the Lady Mary and give Tom a dukedom. "Of course Anne, you would have to convince the king" He told her, but the queen didn't look so sure.

"But father, Tom would be miserable in this marriage. And don't forget you promised George that he could have a wife of his own choosing" She told him

"Do you want control of the Lady Mary or not" Her father's voice rose out of irritation.

"Yes, but–" Anne continued to argue but Tom placed a hand on her shoulders.

"It is alright Anne. It's my duty to help our family, so I will do it." He smiled gently at his sister before turning to face their father "I will marry the Lady Mary"

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**Slowly we are getting into the meat of the story. Thanks to everyone who has read and responded so far, I really appreciate it, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next one would be up soon. **

**ValleyDew**


	7. Chapter 6

_**Ludlow Castle**_

_**Spring 1524**_

_George looked everywhere for Mary and finally found her in the place he should have looked in first, the chapel. He had just come back from a trip to Yorkshire with Sir Geoffrey Pole, and on their way, heard the devastating news that the prince the entire county had been expecting had been born prematurely and died an hour later. The entire country was devastated as many whispered that the queen could no longer bear any more pregnancies, and that they were left with the princess Mary to rule after her father, "A woman. Can you imagine?" someone had said, but George didn't care, he wanted to get back to the castle and find Mary just so he could comfort her. What kind of a best friend was he if he was not there at such a time?_

_As he entered the chapel, George saw Lady Salisbury seated on the bench closest to the doors already fast asleep. He looked past her and he saw Mary in front of the chapel kneeling before the cross. George walked to meet her, and as he knelt down and crossed himself, he saw that the princess was dressed in black in honor of her lost sibling and ailing mother. _

"_They say, she will never have more children" Mary said breaking the silence. She was still young, only eight years old, but she was a brilliant child. Mary understood perfectly the position of her parents and who and what she was to her country, she understood the importance of this pregnancy and the significance of the loss._

"_No one knows that for sure" George told her, keeping his voice down so they don't wake Lady Salisbury._

_Mary was silent for a few minutes as she stared at the large silver cross before her. "I prayed every day that he would live and grow strong, just so papa would be happy. I know he does not like the idea of me being queen" _

"_His majesty loves you Mary, you know that" George said and Mary nodded_

"_Yes, but he prefers a son to rule the country" She said _

_George smiled softly, "That is true, but he doesn't have a choice now than to accept you as the future queen in her own right" He nudged her a bit to lighten up the mood and Mary smiled briefly._

"_I actually would have loved to have a sibling for a change" She said before turning to look at him_

_"Do you ever miss your siblings?" Mary asked him, crossing herself as she got up and sat on the bench behind her, George did the same as he thought about the question. George was the youngest of four children, he had two older sisters and an older brother, all three of whom were in France serving in the French kings court. George was way too young to go with his siblings and being a sickly child, his mother Elizabeth Boleyn, did not want to risk never seeing her baby again, and so she did all she could to convince her husband to leave George in England. Their mother had been a serving lady of the queen and when George was seven, the queen was gracious enough to place George in Mary's household._

"_I was too young when Tom and Anne left, so I don't really feel their absence, but Mary, Mary I miss a lot." There was a faraway smile on his face that Mary noticed and she decided then that it must be a great thing to have siblings and she wished she could have some of her own. _

"_It is not a coincidence that my favorite sibling is your namesake, you know?" George said bringing her out of her thoughts. Mary smiled "it's not?"_

"_Of course not my Princess, it is because you are my favorite person." Mary smiled a bit wider and nudged George a bit with her shoulder for being silly, she however did not move away as she rested her head on his shoulder. George smiled to himself knowing that Mary was alright. The two sat for a few more minutes enjoying the comfortable silence of the chapel, the singing of the monks in the nearby chamber drifted into the room and George felt like he could doze off right there. Mary's voice however brought him back._

"_It scares me, you know" She said "Being my father's only child scares me"_

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**Richmond Palace**

**December 1533**

George Boleyn was in shock. This was not the kind of news he was expecting when he had suggested that he and his sister spend the day together. Mary looked at her brother slightly concerned that she had made the wrong decision telling him the news. They had been in the middle of playing a friendly (yet competitive) game of chess, when she decided he had to know what everyone had been keeping away from him.

"George?" Mary tried to get his attention for the third time, she waved her hand in front of his face and relaxed when she saw him blink

"She is to marry Tom?" George said incredulously. How did that make sense, it made no sense to him. Not one bit!

"Yes, and I was not to tell you, now shut up and act normal before someone walks in and sees you" Mary said looking at the game board before her and studying her pieces to make her next move. She however, could not concentrate because George was still staring off into space. Mary sighed, giving up on the game and she cursed her big mouth for telling him in the first place.

"It is to put her in her place, besides Anne is yet to talk to the king, it might not happen" Mary said, not sure why her brother's reaction was this way. In fact, she needed to know why he cared so much for the little brat anyway.

"Why have you always cared so much for the Lady Mary Tudor?" Mary asked him, moving the chess board aside and looking seriously at her brother's face. His expression gave nothing away, but this was Mary and she could see that he was fighting some sort of battle behind his light blue eyes.

George shrugged as if trying to shake off his initial shock. "We grew up together in Wales, we were friends. I…I feel– she blames me for what happened to her, as if Anne becoming queen was my plot all along when I had nothing to do with it!" George had to stop himself from going into a rant "I just…I just feel for my old friend"

Mary looked at him closely.

"Old friend my foot. George you are in love with her. You always have been, haven't you?" How had she not seen this before? The signs were clear as a bright sunny day. George never called her names, he always wanted to reason with her, always made excuses for her, always had that look in his eyes…Her brother had feelings for the lady Mary, the stubborn catholic bastard daughter of the king. Wow.

"We were friends…I'm still her friend that is all" George quickly got up, all of a sudden feeling very uncomfortable. He could not claim to have feelings for the king's daughter; that was a crazy notion, one he had not thought about since he was young. George walked around the room trying to sort things out in his mind. He wasn't fooling Mary, she knew what was really troubling him and she wished she had noticed sooner.

"So I am to marry Jane?" He said breaking the silence and Mary nodded sympathetically, now understanding her brother's feelings. She too had been in a similar situation. She had been mistress to the king and then married off to a husband who died not long after. Mary had respected her husband, William Carey, but she never loved him. At one point she tough she was in love with the king, but after a bit of growing up she realized she has never truly known what it was like to fall in love. Oh how she pitied her brother.

"I am sorry George" Mary told him, meaning every word of it. It did not matter that she did care much for the Lady Mary, she cared about her brother.

"No need to be sorry sister, you have done me no wrong" George said turning to face her "Father on the other hand as broken a promise" Both looked resigned as they looked at nothing in particular. George stared out the window and Mary looked at the rug beneath her feet.

"He has been breaking a lot of promises of late" she said quietly

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The days had passed by and now the court was in full celebration of the Christmas season. Elizabeth and her household, minus the Lady Mary, were arriving at court the next day and Anne was more than delighted because she missed her little princess. The thought of her daughter and the news she was carrying with her made her smile even more, everything was going as planned.

"Her Majesty the Queen" The herald announced as she walked into Henry's chambers. She found her husband seated at his desk looking frustrated and tired.

"My love why are you not festive with your court? Do the celebrations not please you?" She knelt at his side and kissed his hand. Henry appreciated the attention.

"It is nothing, only Catherine sending me letters asking to see Mary. I will not give into their demands until they respect me as their lord and king, Mary has constantly been disobeying me and perhaps it is time I dealt with her" Anne rubbed his hand has he got angry all over again, tossing the letter written in the hand of Lady Darrell to the side.

Anne looked at the letter and sat in her seat. She was glad for this because it made her talking to the king much easier.

"I might actually have an idea on how to deal with them" Anne said causing Henry to look at her with his cold blue eyes, his calculating mind already working, trying to figure out what his wife might know that he could not have thought of.

"You see, the Lady Mary still has hope that she will be put back in the line of succession that her cousin or some of the country men would rally and fight for her reinstatement into the succession. A thing that we will never let happen" Henry rolled his eyes in a very un-kingly manner to show how pathetic the thought was

"She would be a fool to think such things" He said and Anne agreed taking his hands.

"Exactly. What we must do is bring her to reality. Marry her off and let her settle down and run her own household. That would keep her busy" Henry looked insulted; however, before he could speak, Anne continued. "We would not marry her to a prince, neither would be insult your majesty and marry her too far below. We would give her to someone in our circle, someone we can trust would handle the lady Mary would care and a firm hand, someone who would ensure her respect to us."

Henry looked her curiously. He knew how Anne's mind worked, and with the way her eyes danced with excitement, he knew that she had been thinking about this for a long time.

"Is there anyone you have in mind?" He asked her. Anne smiled and nodded.

"My brother, Tom" Henry laughed

"Shrewsbury" His daughter would surely hate this and so would Catherine.

"I will have to think about it Anne, after all she is my daughter."

"I understand your Majesty. I too only thought of this for our children's sake, so they would be safe in their stations" Anne said as she placed her hand on her flat belly. Henry straightened up in anticipation

"Our children?" Anne smiled taking his and hand placing it on her stomach

"I came to tell you. I'm with child" She laughed along with him as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Already? My love, how long have you known?" Henry placed her back on the ground gently, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"About two weeks. I missed my courses and I confirmed it with the doctors" Henry kissed her forehead and Anne relaxed into him. "This time Henry, it will be a son. I can feel it"

"I will hold you to that promise Anne" His tone was serious, but Anne did not let the thought that she might fail again get to her. She smiled at him, confident in her words and Henry kissed her lips softly before letting her go. Turning to his groomsmen, he said, "Tell the Viscount Shrewsbury and the Lord Privy seal that I wish to see them immediately" The young man bowed and left to do as he was told.

Looking at Anne he smiled, "We have a marriage to plan"

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Hey everyone, Thanks for the feedback. I hope you liked this chapter, if anything it's a bit of a filler chapter, but things are about to pick up soon.

Thanks again and please leave your thoughts and comments


	8. Chapter 7

**I love hearing from you all, thanks so so much for the feedback. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

**Just a small FYI. I had the court at Richmond palace in the last chapter, I actually meant Hampton court palace, as that was where Henry VIII spent most of his time anyway.**

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**Hatfield Castle **

**December 1533**

Mary was having a good day, which was a rare occurrence. Elizabeth and the rest of her household had left for court for the Christmas celebrations leaving Mary all by herself at Hatfield. If they thought it was punishment leaving Mary behind, they must have been joking because Mary was having a great time being here on her own. She had woken up early and spent some time reading the good book. She wrote a letter to her mother, something she did often even if she knew she could never send it, Mary did it in the hope that one day she would be able to, and when she did she would be able to tell her mother all that had been going on in her life on a day to day basis.

It was an oddly warm day outside. The sun was shining and the snow on the ground had softened and begun to melt. The air was cool, slightly chilly, but not freezing in the least. Mary closed her eyes and took in a deep breath enjoying how the cool air seemed to cleanse her mind and soul.

She wished she could be with her mother and celebrate this festive season with her, but that was not to be the case. Mary kept her eyes closed and a small smile appeared on her lips as she remembered those Christmases long ago when she would come to court and dance with her mother and father, she remembered the laughter and how happy they both were. It was a lifetime ago, but those memories meant the world to Mary. She knew things were bad now, but she had a feeling deep down inside of her that she would be happy like that again, this was only a phase her father was going through and he would soon come back to his senses.

"My Lady!" the frantic voice drew Mary out of her thoughts and caused her to quickly turn around only to see Margate running to her like death was chasing her.

"Margaret, Margate what is it?" Mary asked worriedly, looking behind the young girl to try and see what was wrong.

"The…The king, my lady. The king is here. He's in the solar" Mary stood frozen

Her father was here. Why? How?

"To see me?" Margaret smiled and nodded still trying to catch her breath. Mary was not sure what to think of this unexpected visit. She quickly checked her headdress to make sure it was in place, she smoothed out her dress and went inside so not to keep the king waiting. All the way to the solar, she kept thinking about how her day might be getting better. She never dreamed that she would see her father this Christmas season. She wondered if he had come to take her to see her mother, he had to know how much she missed her, how she missed him too.

When Mary reached the solar however, her face fell when she saw Thomas Boleyn, the queen's father standing behind her father with a smug look on his face. She walked forward slowly and went into a deep curtsey. Henry went to meet his daughter and helped her up. She looked into his eyes, not sure what to feel as this was the closest they had been to each other in three years.

Henry too noticed this, his daughter had grown taller and more beautiful over the years. His expression lightened as he realized how long it had been since he held her in his arms and the feel of her delicate hand in his larger ones felt strange. They were strangers to each other now and Henry frowned. It was her fault that he had kept her away from court, she was stubborn and disobedient. He let go of her hand and Mary could sense his mood darken. She immediately knew that he was not here for pleasantries, but had come on his own to make her sign those documents.

"Your Majesty" Her voice trembled slightly

"Lady Mary" Henry replied gesturing her to sit down while he sat across from her. Mary tried to hide the hurt she felt at his tone as she settled down to face him.

"You have wronged me, Mary" He said.

Mary shook her head. How could he say that?

"Maje–" He held up his hand to stop her.

"I have not come here for that" He began "Because your behavior since you arrived at Hatfield has been less than appropriate for someone of your stature, I have come to the decision that you apparently do not have the virtues of an obedient servant or daughter."

Mary was confused. She did not know what she had done to have her father say these things to her. Yes, she did not want to sign the heretic acts, why did he not understand that her faith would not permit her.

"For this reason, I have decided to make you somebody else's problem" Her eyes widened. Was he sending her to Spain? He couldn't be that cruel.

"You are to be married"

Everything seemed to freeze for Mary in that moment. She looked at her father closely and saw no trace of a smile in his face. She then glance up at Thomas Boleyn and saw him smirk at her. Her heart raced as she looked back at her father. Could this really be happening?

"But your Majesty….to whom?"

"The queen's brother, the Viscount of Shrewsbury. You are to be married the day after Christmas, after which you will move to the viscount's home at Tutbury"

Mary went on her knees immediately.

"Your majesty, I beseech you. I do not wish to be married, not to him, not to a Boleyn" Henry stood and walked away from her

"You will learn to obey the queen's family, especially since you will be a member soon! How dare you make me look bad!" Mary covered her mouth to keep from crying.

"Father please, I beg you" Mary tried again "Does my mother agree to this, does she say I should marry?"

"Catherine has no say in what happens to you. As my daughter and my subject you will do as I command!" He yelled at her, his face red with anger. "You will arrive at court tomorrow and you will come a true and willing bride"

Henry stormed out of the room, Thomas Boleyn following behind him with the same look on his face, he stopped in front of Mary, who was still kneeling on the floor.

"Can't say anything now, can you?" He said smiling like a mad man. Mary refused to look up at him and he laughed at her, leaving the young girl feeling utterly embarrassed and miserable.

Once she was alone in the solar, Mary let out a heart wrenching cry. Curling up on the floor, she tried to understand what she had done wrong, why God seemed to let things get worse. Her heart hurt and she cried until her eyes hurt, and there were no tears to cry anymore. She lay there silently, not even knowing when Margaret had come in and tried to comfort her.

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**Hampton Court**

**The next day**

Mary arrived at sunset and was promptly taken to the queen's chambers. She hardly had time to look around the palace she had long since been away from; nothing about her reentry into court was worth being happy about. Margaret walked behind her as the only companion Mary was allowed to have and tried to keep up while admiring the beauty of Richmond palace.

The doors to the queen's chambers opened and Mary took a deep breath as she was lead into the beautiful and highly fashionable chambers of the Queen of England.

The queen's ladies in waiting, in their matching golden gowns eyed her with curiosity, others looked on in surprise. Mary looked amongst them and recognized none. The women that had served her mother were older and most retired.

She found the queen sitting at her vanity while her hair was being brushed. Mary and Margaret curtsied and Anne smiled at her, it was diplomatic enough, but Mary saw it as pretentious. She hated the woman before her even more now, because she knew she was the reason for her current situation.

"Lady Mary, I trust that you had a nice trip" She said, but Mary did not look interested. The young woman looked away from the queen and some of the ladies gasped at such a show of disrespect.

"You will learn manners soon enough, Lady Mary" Anne said quietly, but Mary heard it and turned sharply to look at her.

"Have you not done enough to ruin my life?" Mary said suddenly, glaring at Anne.

Anne was taken aback by such a statement and quickly stood. She looked at Mary for a few seconds before dismissing all her ladies and Margaret, whose jaw was nearly reaching the ground because of the way Mary had spoken to the queen.

"Lady Mary, you will find that marriage is actually in your best interest" Anne told her

"My best interest? It is best that I marry your brother, a man that I despise. A man far below my station"

"You are not his favorite person either, but if you would rather be sent to live in the tower of London, then by all means be my guest." Anne yelled ignoring her last statement.

"That was never an option"

"Oh, yes it was!" She lied, but that did not really matter. Sending Mary to the towers was the farthest thing from Henry's mind, but Mary didn't need to know that.

Mary stared at her in shock, though, at this point nothing should surprise her anymore. It seemed as if nobody was on her side and she was left to fend for herself in the world from now on.

"Well, if you are expecting gratitude, your majesty, it is not going to come from me" Mary said

Anne said nothing and Mary curtsied to dismiss herself. As she reached the door, Anne spoke.

"I feel sorry for you" Anne said "At your age you are most bitter and very unpleasant"

Mary turned to look at Anne, "And I wonder whose fault that is" She curtsied lightly and left the queens chambers.

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**Hampton Court**

Tom reached the top of the steps and took a deep breath. He had just climbed to the highest room at court which just so happened to be located in his brothers chambers. It was a form of an attic, a storage space that also had a small balcony. Tom found George leaning on the stone railing and staring out at the incredible view of the city of London at twilight.

"When in doubt, check the tower" He said coming to stand next to his brother, who acknowledged him with a small smile.

"You've been hiding from father" Tom said as he too admired the view of London, unconsciously thanking fortune that he was on this side looking out at the city and not on the other side longing for a better life.

"Is that so obvious" George said blandly and Tom turned to look at him

"You are angry with me" He concluded and George shook his head.

"I will not mistreat her, if that's what you think." Tom said "My job is to keep her in her place and away from the Spanish and trouble makers. Of course as my wife I'd have to keep her safe. Aside from that I expect nothing else from the girl, so you can be rest assured that your little Lady Mary would be just fine. She won't like it, but she would be fine"

George looked at him for the first time as he spoke.

"You think I am moping because of the Lady Mary?"

Tom shrugged, "You often do" he said and George scowled at him before looking away.

"I care about Mary's wellbeing, my friendship should not be taken as a reason to jest or assume other things" His voice had hardened and Tom could clearly tell he was irritated, but it did nothing but make him stifle is laughter. George glared at him then and Tom chuckled.

"Do you by any chance assume it would be easy to put Mary 'in her place', brother?" George said, mocking the way Tom had said those words

"I do not assume such a thing, but putting the Lady Mary aside, what ails you? You are clearly in a foul mood and my efforts to cheer you have been futile." George looked at Tom with a raised eyebrow. He could not recall such efforts, but that was Tom. He was not a very emotional or sensitive person and seeing that George was in a mood made him want to leave the tower as soon as possible.

"Do you not sense as I have that father might be over-reaching a bit. His attitude lately has been vile, dangerous. The way he speaks to Anne and Mary. Everything he does in court, he is fast making enemies and I worry Tom."

Tom didn't seem to share the same thoughts. He saw their father as smart and resourceful, trying and working to maintain the good name he had sacrificed everything to get. His father was an example to follow, an innovation.

"Anne is his daughter" Tom said tiredly as he found an excuse for the lack of respect he too noticed their father had for the queen.

"She is the queen. You are his heir, you should have a say in who you wed Tom" George said and Tom frowned at that.

"I accepted this marriage, father did not force me"

"He gave you no choice"

"I am working to promote the interest of our family" He had raised his voice and now both brothers faced one another

"What other interest do we have to secure!" George yelled "What would become of us in these unions that we both do not want. What would become of Mary that has been tossed aside by us after her virtue has been exploited and father and uncle gain the rewards. Do you want to know why you and father work so much? It is because you both know that we have created a monster. If Anne does not give the king a son and soon, just like Queen Catherine and Lady Mary, our family would be thrown out the gates, and pray God with our heads intact, my question is if that does happen would it all be worth it?"

Tom did not respond immediately for he did not feel the need to enter a yelling contest with George. It was clear to him that something else was the source of his brother's anger and he did not feel like exploring it. He took a step back from him and walked toward the stairs.

"I'm going to bet on the success of our family, George. I will do everything in my power to keep us on top and Anne will give the king a son, a nephew that you and I will advise when he is king" Tom left George standing alone in the dark balcony. He hoped Tom was right, he prayed with all his heart that all this nonsense was for a greater purpose.

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**So what did you think? The weddings would be up next I think, that is unless I start writing and these characters just start doing whatever they want, because they have been doing that a lot lately. I just loved feisty Mary, she's awesome! Leave your feedback and I will update as soon as I can**


	9. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. I love seeing your comments and opinions. Here's the next chapter.**

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Hampton Court

December 23 1533

The impact of what was happening to her did not hit her just yet. Mary found that in the last two days she felt no emotions whatsoever. She knew she should be scared, but she wasn't. She didn't cry anymore and she did not complain. She kept silent and just stared. It was snowing today and Margaret could not tell if her mistress was actually enjoying the view she was staring at, or if she was lost somewhere else in her thoughts. Mary had not said much these last two days and Margaret was really becoming concerned.

"My Lady. My Lady there's someone here to see you" No response. The curtain to Mary's inner chamber moved and Margaret turned to see the reason she had come in to get Mary in the first place. George excused her with a small nod and Margaret not really knowing what to do left the room. She wouldn't be far, just outside the curtain and she'd be able to know if Mary needed her.

"Mary" The different and very masculine voice caused Mary to turn around sharply. Light blue eyes met greenish blues and Mary quickly stood as she was not expecting to see him. She was wearing her usual black dress, but her hair was not hidden under a hood and George took this time to admire her features. It seemed as if she grew more beautiful each time he saw her, her skin was flawless and pale as milk, her eyes were blue, but just barely. It was easy to compare it with the color of a thin layer of ice, the color of winter. They were beautiful, captivating and always so serious. Her lips were perfectly shaped and red like roses. Her hair was his favorite part, it was dark and thick and he loved how they curled at the ends. He remembered the days when he used to play with the ends of her hair, it seemed like a lifetime ago, but it has been three years since she had genuinely smiled at him.

"Lord Rochford, how may I help you?" Mary asked in what seemed like a calm and non-malicious voice.

George shrugged. He too was not sure why he had come to visit her.

"I wanted…." He glanced at her and Mary looked on waiting to hear what it was that he had to say. She was not yelling at him or eyeing him in an odd sort of way, but she looked at him as if he were a stranger. As if long ago there were not the closest of friends, as if she had never declared that she would marry him if not for her obligations to the crown and her country. It was almost as if she was a different person, and in truth, she was, but George did not want to believe that some part of the old Mary was not still there somewhere.

"I need to talk to a friend" George finally said and he watched as a small crease formed between Mary's eyebrows.

"I am to be married tomorrow and I do not wish to marry this woman. There is another that I have dear feelings for, someone I have cared about since I was young. I do not deem myself worthy enough to have her hand, but it was for her that I strived to better myself and not with the help of any of my kin, but of my own devices." Mary looked shocked to hear his words, but did not utter a sound. She knew who he was speaking of, she knew he was talking about her. What she could not get was if he was being genuine, why he was telling her all this. George was a backstabbing friend, he had watched as his sister took her mother's place as queen and he watched and laughed with the others as she fell in rank and importance.

"I need her blessing" He said.

"Your marriage does not affect me, Rochford" Mary spoke immediately, not even trying to process what he had just said. How dare George ask that of her? She did not understand what he was doing, all she knew was that she did not like it.

"Why so you despise me, Mary?" George unintentionally raised his voice out of frustration and Mary flinched a bit. "I had nothing to do with my sister becoming queen. Are you to always blame and accuse me of hurting you, when you know that I was most true and faithful to you" He seemed sincere enough and everything in Mary's body told her George was not being malicious or cunning in anyway, but that would not allow her to accept him as she once did before. Nothing changed the fact that he was still a member of the family she hated the most. Nothing would change the fact that he did nothing to stop what had happened nor did he fight for her.

Mary turned around and faced the window. For the first time she noticed the snow coating the streets of London and secretly delighted in how beautiful it was; yet she could feel the bitter cold seeping through the window panes and she subconsciously noticed that it matched her current emotions.

"You have a duty to your family to marry as they have stated, and you owe it to God to be a good husband to your wife once you have said your vows before him" Mary turned around to face him, an unreadable expression on her face. "That is what I must do too"

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**December 24**

The sanctuary was beautifully decorated for the wedding of the queen's brother. The king had made a big deal of the Christmas weddings taking place and today being the first of the two, many had come to court to be in attendance. The queen's brother had friends and admirers, but he was not the reason for half the crowd gathered in St. Paul's cathedral. They were here to catch a glimpse of the king's bastard daughter, the former princess Mary. No one had seen her since she was a girl of fourteen years old. They heard that she had been serving the Princess Elizabeth and that she was disobedient to her father and king.

Mary sat beside Margaret five rows behind the king, queen and all the other Boleyn's and Howards. She was not royal, and neither was she a member of the family yet, however she was not just any courtier and so she was placed in the center. The parkers were on the opposite side of the aisle and the rest of the court filled up the rest of the seats. Mary was by no means here of her own accord, but she was present and she had to deal with it.

People were murmuring all around her and the former princess could only keep her head up and pretend she did not notice them. Mary could feel eyes on her at every second and she did her best to ignore the urge to turn and see who it was that stared.

"Those women are friends of Lady Jane Parker." Margaret whispered in Mary's ear and Mary turned to look in the direction she was nodding at and was immediately caught off guard by the amount of hate that was directed at her with the glares she received. The young ladies wore dresses worn by the queen's ladies in waiting and so giving Mary an idea of who they were. They seemed like seasoned ladies of the court, perhaps Mary's age if not a bit older.

"I've been hearing talk around court" Margaret whispered "They say the Lady Jane was very keen on marrying my lord Shrewsbury" Mary frowned at hearing the reason for their animosity. It was because of a man, a man that was not even betrothed to them; she wondered if they were friends of Jane Parker. Mary sent them a carefully measured glare. She was going to prove to the people of court that she was not easily intimidated. It was kind of annoying really, to be hated because she was marrying a man that she hated. For all Mary cared, if she could she would hand the man over to them in a heartbeat, she honestly could not see what was so appealing about him aside from the fact that he was the kings brother in law and gave power and prestige to whatever woman he married.

Mary's eyes crept to the front of the sanctuary and she saw the said man walking out behind his brother and the bishop. The hall had fallen silent now as the bridegroom and the bishop had arrived and the ceremony was about to begin. The music started and Mary looked down at her hands while everyone looked at Jane Parker as she walked down the aisle with her father. Mary looked up when Jane had reached George and curtsied to show respect to the king and queen. She saw that Jane Parker was quite a lovely woman in her own right. She was of an average height with fair hair and a lithe stature. The cream colored dress she wore complemented her skin tone, and brought out her bright green eyes.

Jane's father placed her hand on George's and went away to seat by his wife, The Bishop began the ceremony and Mary found that she was not really paying any attention. She wasn't sure what she should be feeling right now. George had come to her and asked for her blessing, which was quite unexpected and frankly did not make any sense. She didn't believe that George harbored any feelings for her whatsoever, she didn't think it was possible that he had seen her as anything more than the young, friendly princess he had been obligated to serve. She remembered the days when he was the first thought in her head in the morning and the last person she thought about at night. But she had been a child, one that did not know the company of any other male.

Mary sighed in frustration and annoyance that she had allowed her mind stray so far into thinking stupid thoughts. She had been a child, a stupid child and whatever George thought he felt, it did not matter because he was marrying Jane Parker. She had bigger problems than thinking about juvenile things from their past, she was to marry his brother in two days, basically signing away her life so Mary could not worry about the past. It was gone now and it was not going to help her in any way.

As the bishop recited the prayers, Mary allowed herself to look at the couple. Her gaze immediately met George's stare and Mary quickly looked away. The bishop had just asked for all those who opposed the marriage, and Mary made sure she looked at nothing else but the floor.

It was not like George was expecting Mary to stand up and object, he just could not avoid glancing at her as she sat in the crowds. It was weird for him because the very few times he had pictured his wedding day, it was her face he saw standing before him.

Mary stood out in the crowd around her as she was the only one wearing black. His breath caught when their gazes met and Mary quickly looked away from him. He was not sure if Jane Parker saw it or not, but George really did not seem to care. He heard her repeat her vows to him after the bishop, and it all sort of when over his head. Mary looked back at him, but the look she sent his way was that of admonishment. Her gaze was intense and he seemed to be able to read her thoughts loud and clear. _Stop staring at me_. He turned to face his bride and Mary looked back at the ground. During those few seconds that seemed to last forever, George and Mary did not notice the gaze of a third person observing their silent conversation. Tom had to wonder what sort of hold the lady Mary had on his brother. He too glanced at the younger girl and saw she was avoiding looking at anything other than her lap.

Mary seemed to have noticed his intense gaze on her because she raised her head and saw him staring. His expression was blank, but his eyes held a small amount of curiosity in them. Mary frowned at him before looking away. In two day it would be the both of them up there and the thought of it simply made her heart stomach drop.

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She met with Ambassador Chapuys on the morning of Christmas with hope that he brought good news for her. She had written to the man immediately after her father told her of her impeding marriage, to seek assistance from her mother and cousin, the emperor.

"Ambassador" Mary greeted. She looked upon the man nervously for he held in his answers the only hope she had left, the only thing keeping her going. Chapuys bowed and greeted Mary and gestured towards the chair for her to seat before he sat across from her. In his hands was a leather folder which he held closely to his chest as if everything depended on it.

"Lady Mary I bring news from your Mother and the Emperor" He began solemnly and Mary could already see that her efforts were fruitless. Ambassador Chapuys looked tired and drained and the young girl let out a short breath in defeat.

"Your mother wrote severally to the king, beseeching that he excuse you from this marriage, but the king did not listen. He is very steadfast in his decision and there is nothing my master can do, as he too is trying to seek an alliance with his majesty" Mary sighed deeply. It was not in her nature to show her disappointment in front of people, or throw a fit as her father did, she had learnt from her mother to remain poised and collected even in the worst of situations.

"I thank your excellency for trying so hard on my behalf" Chapuys could see right through her and he smiled sadly. Placing the folder on the table, he opened it revealing two pieces of parchment of written document that Mary was very familiar with.

"His majesty rejected your proposal that you would sign the acts of supremacy and the succession acts if he dissolved this betrothal. He demands that you sign it regardless. I am truly sorry princess. He has given you no choice, or else you be placed under house arrest" Mary looked at the parchment before her and read the documents in full. She had to accept that her father's marriage to her mother was false, that it was not true in the eyes of God. Signing this document would have her call her mother a liar and a whore. Despite how badly Mary wanted to stop the strife between herself and her father, she just could not do that, not in good conscience. Marrying Tom Boleyn was enough punishment, being under house arrest at Tutbury could not be any worse.

"I love my father the king dearly, but I cannot in good conscience sign these documents. Tell my father that I remain a humble loving daughter, but it would kill me if I signed them and dishonored my mother. Let him understand how difficult it is for me to disobey him"

Chapuys did not think he could say or do anything to convince Mary otherwise. The young girl was wise beyond her years and so especially brave. He admired her courage and could only pray to God that the king would remain kind to his eldest daughter.

"I will tell his majesty as you have requested." Chapuys paused "Try and keep your marriage from being consummated, your highness, perhaps we will still find a way to annul it in the future" Mary's cheeks burned. She did not even think about that part of her marriage and to hear it first mentioned by the older ambassador, was a bit awkward for her.

"God be with you Princess Mary" Mary stood as the Ambassador began to take his leave

"Thank you, your excellency and may he guide you as well"

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**Christmas day.**

The Lady Mary was finally able to fall asleep in the early hours of the morning, but her sleep only lasted for so long. At about five thirty in the morning right before dawn, Mary woke up instantly to the sound of commotion outside her room. She got out of her bed and quickly put her cloak over her night dress, just in time before three of her father's guards stormed their way into her bed chambers with Margaret running after them as if she would be able to fight them

"What is the meaning of this?" Mary snapped at the men, her voice sounding very much like her mother's and commanding respect. The large men did not flinch though

"By the orders of the king, Lady Mary you are under arrest. We have been instructed to take you this minute to the tower of London" The main guard said.

Mary stared at them like they had lost their minds, like she had lost her wits and was having a very strange nightmare that seemed so real. Was this really happening? Was her father really going to send her to her death for not signing those ridiculous documents?

Mary's mouth had gone dry and it was hard for her to utter her next words.

"On…on what charges?"

"Assaulting the lady Hatton and casing trouble in the Princess Elizabeth's household. Now, you can either go with us calmly, or we will have to move you with force"

Her chest hurt and Mary placed her hand on it as if that would do anything to stop the feelings of anger and betrayal.

"I will like to change first"

"There is no time for that, you will be provided for at the tower." The guard said, nodding at the other two men to go on either side of her. Mary struggled out of their grip, refusing to be man-handled. She walked out of her chambers wrapping her cloak around her to give her some decency and holding her head high. She refused to let them break her, not anyone, not even the king.

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**It was a bit of a wait, but I hope this long detailed chapter makes up for it. Yes, I know. I did not plan that Mary would be arrested, in fact she was going to sign and have a grand wedding as well, but I realized that Mary would probably not sign those documents if her mother was still alive, which she is in this story. Please leave your feedbacks, I love hearing from all of you. Thank you!**


	10. Chapter 9

Christmas Day

Anne laughed as she watched her brother play with her daughter. Elizabeth was growing strong every day, and everyday Anne saw that her daughter looked more and more like her father. Her hand went to her still flat stomach and she prayed silently that the child she carried was a son. She needed a son to fulfil the promise she had made to Henry or else she feared what might happen to all of them.

Tom lifted Elizabeth over his head and the baby giggled as he made funny faces at her. Mary Boleyn shook her head in disapproval and tried to reach for the child, but her brother was not giving her up.

"Tom, she must get ready for the service, the king would be here soon" She chided and Tom chuckled as he brought Elizabeth close to his chest.

"You don't want to wear that awfully heavy dress do you? You want to stay right here with your uncle tom?" He turned to Mary and smiled. "You heard the princess" Anne rolled her eyes.

"Give her to Mary, Tom" Anne told him before Mary got annoyed. Tom rolled his eyes in a playful manner kissing his niece on the cheek.

"The queen commands. I'm sorry love, but there's nothing I can do about it." He gave her to Mary and Elizabeth made a gurgling sound "I know, I know. I understand that I am your favorite uncle" Mary smiled and shook her head. Serious as he was with everything else, he always had a soft spot for children. As Mary was about to take Elizabeth to her connecting chambers, the doors opened and George rushed in, a panicked look on his face.

"What is it George" Anne stood up suddenly worried that something was wrong with the king.

"The lady Mary has been arrested." George said.

The room was silent as everyone present was shocked to hear the news. Henry had not spoken to Anne about taking such a step and from the looks of surprise on George and Tom's faces, the council was not aware either.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by Tom's laughter. Both Anne and George turned to look at him, Anne in disbelief and George in annoyance.

Anne did not let his laughing distract her for much longer, she turned to George

"When?"

"Early this morning. My men were packing up the wagons with wedding gifts to take back to Grimston, when they saw the kings guards take her." George sighed deeply and sat down on the nearest seat, running his fingers through his hair and taking his cap off in the process. "Tom, you have to go see the king and figure out what he is up to"

"Why do I have to go to the king? Did we not tell that spoilt brat that she would get herself arrested and sent to the tower, What business have I asking the king about her fate" Tom was slightly annoyed by his brothers suggestion, but not as annoyed as George was in that instance. His younger brother stood up and came to stand head to head with him. George was a couple inches taller than his older brother and he tried to use that to his advantage as it looked as if he was going to fight with him.

"It is your bloody business because you are her betrothed!" George nearly yelled, but Tom did not seem to be affected by him. He gave his brother a look warning look and George backed off a bit.

"Clearly not anymore, if she is to get her head chopped off" George stilled. He had not thought about that as he did not really find out what Mary's charges were.

"Was she arrested for treason?" Mary Boleyn asked, but nobody answered. Anne was silent as she thought about the situation. She stood up and walked back and forth for about half a minute.

"George is right. Tom, you must go see the king. Get the answers we need and if the king did arrest Mary for treason, we must make him pardon her." Anne turned to Mary "Get me my quill and some parchment, I must write to Catherine"

"What!" Tom thought his sister was insane. Way would she write to the old discarded queen?

"If Mary would not sign, maybe her mother would sign for her. If anything, I believe the king is only trying to scare her"

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Tom arrived at the king's office and was immediately allowed admittance. Standing by the king's desk was the secretary, Thomas Cromwell and the king's closest friend, the Duke of Suffolk, Charles Brandon.

"Your Majesty. Your grace" Tom bowed his head and gave Cromwell a small nod "Mister Secretary"

"My lord Shrewsbury, I was just about to send for you" Henry said. He seemed in a very good mood despite the fact that his daughter was in prison and Tom immediately got the feeling that Anne was right and the king was just teaching his disobedient daughter a lesson. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the other two men in the room and once they had gone, his eyes turned a shade darker, and Tom wondered if he had assessed the situation too quickly.

"You heard about Mary" It was not a question.

"Yes, your majesty. George's men saw her taken away this morning." Henry nodded.

"She refused to sign yet again" He said. His mood had changed drastically and Tom could see how furious he was with his oldest daughter. He wondered why the girl was so stupid. "I have had enough of her disobedience! I AM HER KING!" Henry was on his feet now and Tom just watched as he paced the room's length trying his best not to knock anything out of place. He quickly turned to face Tom.

"She has been arrested on charges of assault. You are still to marry her; do it immediately and quietly. She will stay in the tower for the rest of this year and in the New Year, she would be taken to Tutbury where she would be placed under house arrest until she signs those documents." Henry placed his hands on Tom's shoulders "I am entrusting you my Lord, to not go softly on her. Make her accept her new place, and I give you permission to beat out every trait of pride and stubbornness that she possesses. She would know that I am her king and I am not to be made a fool of"

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She could have been placed in worst rooms, but no room in the tower was comfortable when one was under arrest. Mary was not thinking about the comfort of her room, she was coming to a realization of something she did not understand until now. She had lost him. She had lost her father, but that was not really true because she never really had him in the first place. Her mother had failed many times before her birth to give the king a son. Her birth was the small beacon of hope that her mother could produce living children after all, but after Mary none came.

He never cared for her and he never loved her. She wondered how long he would keep her in the tower, if she was even going to get a trail. She wondered what would become of her life when Anne gave the king a son, if he would see fit to let her go or keep he imprisoned for fear that she would harm his son. Mary would not do such a thing of course, but she was starting to understand how the mind of her father worked. Mary realized that just like her mother, she would be left here to slowly wither and then die. Not to know the joys of getting married, of being a mother, or of love. Granted, she knew that before her arrest she was doomed to marry Tom Boleyn, so she was not to know those joys anyway, but there was still hope that the marriage would be annulled when her mother came back and took her place as queen. Mary realized now that such a thing would not happen. Her mother would surly die in her exile and Mary in her prison. The realization of the fact of her life broke her heart and Mary could not stop the tears from coming again. She had lost. If she signed the documents now, would her father let her go, would he claim to love her and recognize her? Would it be true? Mary knew one thing for sure and that was the love her mother had for her, that was the only thing that was a constant in her life, and she was not going to betray her by signing those documents, even if it meant dying here in this prison.

The heavy door to her room was unlocked from the outside, and Margaret who had been sitting in the corner of the room stood up while Mary remained curled up at the corner of the straw bed, her back to the wall and her cloak wrapped around her small frame with the hood over her head.

"Crying on our wedding day" Mary lifted up her eyes to see Thomas Boleyn, the earl of Shrewsbury standing in the door way, hands folded across his chest and a stupid grin on his face.

She looked away from him. Margaret curtsied and went to help her mistress up, but Mary was not getting up for this man.

"I am still to marry you then. How will that work out, if I am to remain imprisoned" Her voice was scratchy because of her crying and lack of drink.

"You will remain here until the new year. Then you will go to Tutbury and remain under house arrest until you sign the documents in which you are required" Mary looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I am not to stay here indefinitely?"

"If you continue to refuse the king, yes, that option is still very much open. Or perhaps the king might take it a step further and charge you with treason and we both know the sentence for that if you are found guilty" There was no grin and no teasing in his voice now. He was being serious and Mary saw thought it was quite scary how much he resembled his father. Her mind briefly took her back to the day at Hatfield when he had threatened her and goosebumps filled her skin.

"I will not sign it, that much I know." Mary stated flatly.

"Then you are not very clever" He said and Mary frowned and finally stood up to her feet.

"I do not take being insulted lightly" She said in the hardest voice she could muster.

"As your husband, I will have total command over you, I can say and do with you as I please" he moved closer to her "You are under my command now, Lady Mary and there is nothing you can do. I think we both know that the best thing for you to do is to give up this silly fight. Your cousin cannot help you, your mother can most certainly not help you. You have nobody." Mary stared into his hateful deep blue eyes and no matter how intense they were, she did not miss a beat with her next words

"I have my conscience" He chuckled maliciously.

"The man directly below you, Sir Thomas More. He too has a conscience to appease. He's scheduled to die next month" Mary's heart clenched but she did not flinch.

"Then with a clear conscience we would both die and be welcomed gloriously in Heaven"

Tom's face twisted in annoyance at the girl before him. In all his life he has never met anyone more stubborn.

"You will be expected in the chapel at six. The priest would meet us there"

"Am I then to return to my cell after" Mary wished she would, she hoped to God that because of her arrest she would not have to consummate her marriage.

Tom's face hardened. "The king wants proof that you cannot escape this marriage. You will join me in my rooms tonight"

That being said, he turned around and left. Mary fell back into her bed.

"My lady" Margaret was at her side in seconds, however Mary did not respond to her. She stared up at the ceiling as tears welled up in her eyes again. She would rather live the rest of her life in prison than marry Tom Boleyn.

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It was easy to forget sometimes that the Tower of London once used to be the residence of the monarch. The reputation of the castle had dwindled over the last hundred years with its famous prisoners, their executions and the mystery of the two lost princes never to be seen again. St. Johns chapel was a lovely addition to the castle. The beautiful murals, the seclusion it had from the rest of the city. If Mary had not been walking to what she believed was her doom, she would have taken it all in and admired it.

Mary followed the guard as he led her and Margret down the aisle to stand beside Tom, who was already there with his own witness. She did not know the man, but assumed he was a friend of Boleyn's. A young man with soft brown eyes and a kind smile.

Mary stood facing Tom, she was wearing a cream dress that had been provided for her by the warden's wife. It was a tad big on her, but Margaret was able to tighten her corset, so she looked like she had a shape. She wore no Jewelry except from studded earrings and her necklace with the cross. Margaret had tried using some make up to cover the circles under eyes, but Mary was not sure she had much luck. Her hair was up in a half up half down style, simple and not very elegant, but there had not been enough time to do anything with it. She was not a beautiful bride as Jane Parker was, but Mary could care less.

Tom looked at her with an aloof expression. He had changed into something a bit more festive. His outfit was green and gold and he looked very nice in his appearance, as if he truly cared about the wedding.

The priest began the ceremony and Mary found herself zoning out for most of it. It soon came to the part where she had to say her vows and with a heavy heart, she repeated the words, promising to love, obey and care for Thomas Boleyn till the day she died. Tom promised to love, care and protect her. Mary did not fully mean her vows, but they were made before God and now she was inclined to honor them.

They were pronounced husband and wife and Tom was asked to kiss his bride. Mary felt her cheeks burn and she looked away from Tom as he stared at her with that unreadable expression. She felt him step towards her and place his hand on her arms, she held in a breath as she felt him place a chaste kiss on her forehead.

Mary let out the air she was holding in and looked back up at him, but he was not looking at her, he was speaking to the priest and his friend and Mary turned to face Margaret.

"It's over now my Lady" She said with a small sad smile. Mary held her hand and squeezed it. Margaret was the only friend she had.

"I'm afraid it has only just began, Maggie."

"My lady" Mary turned to see the young man that had come with Tom

"Sir Thomas Wyatt" He introduced himself and Mary nodded her head to him. She had heard of the poet in her father's court. She was surprised he was friends with Tom Boleyn, he looked like a kind man.

"I must congratulate you, though it was not under the best circumstances"

"Thank you Sir Thomas" Mary said.

Tom came to join them.

"My dear friend the married man" Sir Thomas said in jest and Tom only frowned at him. It was not a joke for he had married the bane of his existence.

"Sir Thomas will you join us for dinner" Mary looked at her now husband and raised an eyebrow. They were not to have a reception, but there would be dinner. How nice. She frowned as Tom led them to his rooms in the inner ward of the Tower that had some of the best rooms.

Dinner was not very interesting. Mary sat quietly as Boleyn and Sir Thomas talked about things that did not really concern her. The priest was due back soon to bless the marriage bed and Mary was counting the time before he came, hoping time would freeze, or that the man got lost on his way. She had to control her thoughts not to wish the man any further ill, and so when Sir Thomas spoke to her she was taken aback.

"Sorry?"

"How are you at writing poetry, my lady?" He smiled at her and Mary returned the gesture.

"I'm afraid I do not know as I have never tried my hand at it" Mary replied before taking a sip of her wine.

"Oh, I am sure you would be lovely at it Lady Mary. Tis just an act of expressing your thoughts and emotions. My lord Viscount here, is quite talented at writing sonnets." Sir Thomas Laughed, but Tom only seemed to focus on his dinner. Mary smiled lightly at Sir Thomas.

"I would like to read some of your work Sir Thomas, if that is alright with you. I fear that I was not given a chance to take much with me before I was brought here."

"How dreadful, you must be bored out of your wits" Mary gave him a tight smile. She had more things to worry about to afford to be bored. She only asked out of kindness. "Your husband has a few of them, I'm sure he would not mind lending them to you, would you Tom?" Tom looked up at the two of them

"Of course not"

It was not long after that Sir Thomas had to return to court and the priest came. Mary was taken into the bed chamber to change and then she was to get into the large bed that looked like it would swallow her up. The priest had already began to bless the bed when Tom walked in from the outer chamber already dressed for bed as well. He got in beside her and Mary sat frozen all through the prayer. She looked at Margaret who looked at her with concern and worry, but none the less gave her a small smile of encouragement.

The prayers ended and Mary heard Tom say 'amen' before she quickly mumbled it as well.

"Thank you everyone, but I believe I can take it from here" His stupid grin returned and the few members of his household present laughed at that. The priest blessed them one more time and Margaret gave Mary's hand a small squeeze before they all left the room.

Tom's grin disappeared once they were alone. He got out of bed and Mary watched him silently as he went to his desk.

"I do not wish to be your wife in anything but name" She said firmly, or she hopped she sounded firm and unafraid.

"The king wants proof and the king always gets what he wants." Tom said before facing her. Mary's eyes widened when she saw the small dagger in his hand. He walked back to the bed and Mary felt herself move further away from him until she was about to fall off the side of the bed.

"Give me your hand" He said. Mary frowned.

"Why?"

"Why don't you ever just listen? I said give me your hand!"

"So that you can hurt me? Why would I do that, I am not stupid!" Mary yelled

"It would only be a small cut and it is to fake evidence, or would you rather I lie with you!" Mary sat stunned. Finally coming to the realization of what he was doing, she shook her head and then slowly gave him her hand. He made a small cut on her thumb and then let a few drops of blood fall on the sheets. Once he was satisfied. He got a piece of linen and wiped the face of the cut, adding pressure to let the blood flow seized. Mary watched him work silently and when he was done, he let go of her hand and she held it close to her chest inspecting the closed wound. Tom put the dagger away, blew out the candles and then returned to bed.

He lay silently on is back looking at the ceiling and Mary lay on her side staring at him, still shocked at what had just happened.

"Why are you burning holes into my head?" He asked in an annoyed voice. Mary frowned but said nothing. She turned on her other side, her back facing Tom and she stared into the darkness. She felt the bed shift as Tom also turned his back on her as well. Mary was not sure what to think. He had just defied her father's orders and Mary knew it was not because he cared for her or her opinions in anyway. Whatever the reason, she was just grateful that tonight had not turned into her worst nightmare.

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**And finally they are married. What next? **

**Thanks so much you guys for reading and reviewing. I know some of you might be a bit disappointed the Boleyn's were not behind the arrest. I'm not trying to make Anne the villain in this story, it is clearly the king and papa Boleyn, and that is how it was in history. Tom would be a villain to Mary for a while, but that would change as the characters develop. Anne and Mary don't get along because they have been put in positions where it is hard to look at one another with anything but dislike, but like I said all that is bound to change as the characters develop. I too used to detest Anne and called her a home wrecker, but after really learning the facts and rewatching the show, I had a change of heart. **

**Anyways, leave me your reviews and the next chapter would be up in a few days. Mary's not going to be in the tower for long, it's supposed to be just seven days, so don't worry about Mary she would be fine. **


	11. Chapter 10

**January 2 1534**

"And so did you seal the deal?" The Earl of Wiltshire asked "Once done there is no chance for an annulment."

The room was silent as everyone uncomfortably watched the patriarch of the Boleyn family question his elder son about his wedding night. Elizabeth Boleyn, Thomas's wife, newly returned to court found no pleasure in hearing any of this. She had arrived a few days ago to find out that her son would be marrying the king's first daughter. Elizabeth did not detest this marriage because she disliked Mary, it was the opposite actually. She cared for the young girl even though Mary would never believe it. Elizabeth Boleyn had been lady in waiting to the former Queen Catherine and she had been there when Mary was born and she had watched her grow into a beautiful respectable woman. Elizabeth was concerned because she knew that both Tom and Mary despised the situation they were in and it worried her that the two would make the institution of marriage unbearable for themselves.

Anne's thoughts were along the same lines as her mother, though she felt for Mary, she also thought about her brother. She knew that Mary would never be willing to consummate her marriage to him and the fact that Thomas might have had to force himself on her worried her because she knew how much he did not like to hurt anyone, women especially. He was happy when one was willing, but he never pushed them. He respected all women that way and she had always admired that, she was only saddened that Tom had been forced go against his morals.

George on the other had was silently steaming with anger. His hands were clutched into fists under the table, His legs bounced continuously out of impatience, and he ground his jaw tightly so that he could keep himself from saying anything. He hated to think of Mary in any pain whatsoever and when he found out that she and Tom had gotten married at the tower without anyone's knowledge but the king's, he had been shocked. It's not like it mattered, he was a married man himself, but that didn't mean anything. He could not shake off the need to want to protect Mary at all times.

"Yes, father. You need not worry about anything" Tom said easily, a small smile on his face. He seemed to be the only person in the room apart from his father that was not affected by this event at all. It was probably easier for him to seem so care free because he was actually lying to his father and he prayed to God that his decision would not come back and stab him in the back. Anne looked closely at her brother as he effortlessly made plans with their father about how the Lady Mary would be taken cared of during her house arrest at Tutbury, and she wondered how it was that he was always able to keep his emotions in check and seem so pleasing to their father.

"Excellent. She is worthless now" Thomas Boleyn said with a huge smile on his face "No Prince or Duke would want her hand now, the Emperor would completely give up trying to take her and her mother to Spain. All we need now is to secure an heir and that is where your sister cannot fail us" He was looking at Anne now, his glare burning holes into her skin

"Anne would have a son, father, no worries" Tom assured him confidently and Thomas Boleyn accepted it. His eldest child was always the one that understood him.

"I have a meeting with Lord Cromwell, I shall excuse myself now. " The earl of Wiltshire got up and all his children but Anne and his wife stood up too as custom dictated.

"She is not worthless" George said immediately turning to Tom. Anne rolled her eyes, he had started again. Elizabeth Boleyn and Mary Boleyn watched the two silently with unsurprised expressions. Out of everyone they knew about George's feelings, but they also knew that it was pointless of him always trying to defend her against the other men in the family.

"Father made that comment George, not I" Tom said sounding quite tired

"Of course, you only took part in the process that allowed her to be called such" He did not mean to raise his voice, but lately when it came to Mary, he didn't seem to think anymore. The other day he had called his own wife Mary when they had been arguing and had lied that he had mistaken her for his sister.

Tom pound his fist on the table causing the women seated to flinch a little. He leaned forward so he could look his brother in the eye as he spoke.

"I will remind you this once, George, and this one time only" He spoke loud and clear "Mary is my wife now, she is under my command and protection and there are certain rights that I benefit from in such a union, so from today forward, I relieve you of whatever responsibilities you think you have towards her and ask that you pay you own wife with half as much care and affection. I am positive she would actually be willing to accept such attentions."

George looked at his brother in disgust and he wanted nothing more than to give him a blow to the face, but he restrained himself for the sake of his mother and sisters. Instead he decided to use words to hurt his brother, these words however had no effect on Tom.

"You are becoming more like father everyday"

Tom smiled as he straightened up and folded his arms across his chest.

"I am glad my efforts have been noticed"

George had nothing to say to that and stormed out of the room without a second thought of his mother and sisters.

Elizabeth Boleyn turned away from the doors that had just slammed shut and looked at her eldest child

"You do not mean that do you?" She asked after a few moments silence. Tom turned his dark blue eyes to the woman he had inherited them from. She looked at him worriedly and it annoyed him greatly. She had always thought of him as weak and impressionable. He knew that George was her favorite, George and Mary and that was why she did not want them sent to France, though she lost the battle with Mary, she got to keep her George. He frowned at her and thought about what was so wrong in wanting to be like his father. His father was the reason they were all here, that Anne was queen. He had gone from nothing to the grandfather of the future kings of England, there was nothing left to do but to admire him

"Yes, Mother. I actually do"

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The days went by so slowly and the longer she stayed here, the more it felt like her soul was being sucked away from her. On the first of the New Year she had been moved to better rooms as her "sentence" was now over. It was in this room that she unavoidably got the best view of Sir Thomas More's execution. Mary had been inconsolable for the rest of the day, not just because the man had been a great supporter of her and her mother, but because she could easily see herself in his place.

She could not believe her father had signed the warrant for his execution. She was not sure she knew why she could not believe it because she had been the same person to confidently say that her father would not arrest her and yet, here she was sitting in the tower of London waiting to be taken from one prison to the next. Mary now realized that she had to start believing the impossible when it came to her father.

The doors opened and Mary looked up surprised to see George Boleyn walking into the room. She was actually expecting Tom as he was to take her to Tutbury Castle today, but seeing George instead caused her to wonder if the plans had changed.

"Lord Rochford" Mary stood up to greet him. She received him as she always did, seeming aloof and very distant.

George looked at her as if she was a wounded puppy and this caused Mary to frown slightly and wonder what he had heard.

"I know my arrival here is unexpected, but I had to see you before you left for the country" He told her. Mary briefly glanced at Margaret uncomfortably. He made it sound as if they were lovers, which they most certainly weren't.

She excused her friend and only companion from the room and once she was gone she rounded on George

"What do you want, George?" George removed his cap and walked closer to her. He did not know what he wanted, he just had a sudden urge to see her and so he came. He was standing so close to her that Mary had to look up at him now. She knew she should take a few steps away from him, but she was frozen in her place out of shock that he was standing where he was, their chests nearly touching.

He gingerly placed his hands on her arms just above her elbow. Mary watched him do this and then she slowly looked up to meet his gaze. They were so intense, so captivating, so distracting. Mary was not sure she knew what was going on. She wanted to say something to him, tell him to stop, but her mouth felt so heavy, her mind all out of sorts. One moment she is standing in the middle of a room in the tower of London and the next she is back in her beautiful garden at Ludlow. Time has gone back and she is young again, fourteen years of age and she is still a princess and George her best of friends. They are alone in the garden, standing so close together after running around the maze and trying to catch their breath. Mary could hardly stand, her corset set too tight. George held her around the waist to support her, their faces had been so close and without much thought, both of them leaned in even closer, curious to see what it felt like to kiss the other. It never happened, Lady Salisbury had called her name and just like that moment years ago, Mary snapped out of whatever trance George had put her under, she took a step away from him and slapped him across the cheek.

"I am a married woman, have you no respect" She was so angry that she was close to tears. She was tired. Tired of people manipulating her and toying with her emotions.

George seemed to realize what he had done and was immediately apologetic. He moved away from her, though he yearned to hold her just to comfort her after acting so stupid.

"I am so sorry Mary, I didn't know what came over me. Forgive me, please. I only came to see you and to make sure that you are well. I never meant-"

"Stop. Just stop!" Mary yelled "I never asked you to check up on me, you owe me nothing. You are no longer in my services, George! I do not need you or your concern or friendship. What was in the past is the past, we were no more than children and I wish to pretend that none of it happened. I am no more to you than your sister-in-law and even with that I wish to have absolutely nothing to do with you, do you understand that!"

To say he was shocked was an understatement. Though, what did he expect her to say, he had almost kissed her, the kings daughter! Again!

"Mary, I am sorr-"

"I meant every word I said. No more" Her voice was strong and firm. George's gaze hardened and he stood a bit straighter.

"You wish to forget our friendship?"

"It is my wish and I am asking that you honor it" Mary said. George didn't know whether to feel hurt or embarrassed. He looked at the ground for a couple seconds before nodding. If Mary wanted him gone there was nothing he could do about it, if anything this was all is own fault anyway.

"If it is what you wish" He finally said. He turned to go, but then he turned around to face her again.

"I am truly to go to France in a weeks' time. I hope…we shall see each other again. As brother and sister in law of course…..perhaps it would be in happier times" Mary didn't think she would ever be happy if she was to remain a Boleyn, but she bowed her head none the less.

He took her in one last time before he turned and left her chambers. When he reached the top of the steps he met is brother coming up and immediately turned his hurt expression into one of indifference

"What are you doing here?" Tom asked quite irritated, but George did not stop to face him.

"I am leaving now and you need not worry about me bothering you again" He answered as he continued down the stairs leaving his brother confused at his reply. Whatever it was, Tom assumed Mary had given him another one of her tongue lashings and that thought made him chuckle as he continued up to get his so called wife. It was time to take her to her new home.

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**Yes, there was bit of a wait for this one, but I've been so busy. This is the time of the school year when we get assaulted by papers and tests and so I apologize if anyone was anxiously awaiting an update…. No? That's fine too, I'm just glad to get this out my system. Loll. I struggled a bit with this chapter. I know it is so short, but I promise I wrote it like five times. That almost kiss was not even part of the plan, but like I said before these characters just do whatever they want. Please leave your reviews I barely have the entire story planned out, so I kind of just go with the flow, let me know how you like it and I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. I'm excited about writing that one as it would be the start of Mary's new life as Lady Shrewsbury**.


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks so much for the reviews, I really appreciate them. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy.**

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The weather was horrible and Mary was sure that the dark clouds and the pouring rain was the confirmation that her life from now own would be a dark and gloomy hell. The winds caused the carriage to wobble a couple of times and several times Mary had to assure Margaret that everything was okay. She had been through worse traveling conditions before and until now Margaret had never really traveled much.

"Why does the viscount not find us a place to stay the night, it is very bad to travel in these conditions" Margaret complained and Mary smiled at her. She understood what Margaret meant but she was not sure where they would stay. They were in the middle of nowhere and far from any major town or city. It was only a few small villages ahead and wherever they stayed, it would be small and not very comfortable for her, Margaret, all of the Viscounts Household, and the Viscount.

There was a huge dip that caused both women to jerk forward and Mary and Margaret held on to each other to steady themselves. Mary would have opened the small shutter in the carriage to check what was happening, but if she opened it, the rain would get in and it would be impossible to see in the dark.

"We are getting robbed" Margaret panicked.

"Marge, we are not getting robbed" Mary's voice was strong as she assured her friend. Just then, the door was opened and Mary saw Master Reynolds, the head of Tom's household, drenched from the rain and using his cap to cover his face. Reynolds was a man of about seven and forty. He seemed to have been working for the Boleyn's for years and from what Mary had observed so far was very fond of Tom, and Tom also seemed to trust him very much as well.

"My Lady Shrewsbury, we have lost a horse and it is impossible to continue to travel by carriage and so we have secured a small place to stay for the night until the conditions have improved."

Perfect. It was cold and she was going to ride in the rain. Mary was sure Boleyn planned this, perhaps he was hoping she would catch her death from whatever sickness this would bring.

Margaret and Mary bundled up as much as possible and Master Reynolds helped Margaret get out first. He asked Mary to stay put as he went to get Margaret situated on a horse. Mary tightened the cloak about her and sighed, praying to God that she would not actually get sick and that the place they were going was not too far away.

Master Reynolds was back after a few minutes and he helped Mary out. Finally stepping out of the carriage she could see that indeed one of the horses pulling the carriage was down, it was most likely injured and she saw some of the men try to attend to it. Others were trying to organize the luggage carts and make sure those were in shape to continue the trip. She saw Margaret perched up on a dark brown horse that belonged to one of Tom's men. The owner of the horse held the reins and he led the horse forward. Margaret looked so scared up there and Mary hopped the man leading the horse would be patient with her.

"Where is the Viscount?" Mary asked after noticing that she had not seen him anywhere

"He rode ahead to the farm house, my lady" Reynolds said. They stopped in front of a grey horse that kept moving around uneasily. She was a beautiful mare and Mary fell in love with her instantly. "Who does she belongs to?" she asked as she patted its Muzzle.

"Newly acquired, madam. My lord Shrewsbury got her last time he visited Wiltshire. Still young and not very experienced, but as an expert rider, you should be able to ride her madam, we are only going six miles." Mary smiled up at the horse and she seemed to calm down as Mary gave her all of her attention. For a split moment, the loud sound of the storm was forgotten and the winds were irrelevant.

"She likes you, My Lady" Reynolds observed kindly. Mary nodded but did not take her eyes away from the horse.

"Master Reynolds, that mare should not be ridden by anyone tonight, do you not see that it is spooked" The moment was gone when she heard his voice. Mary and Master Reynold turned around to see Tom on top of his black stallion. He too was drenched in the rain and by the sound of his voice, was quite irritated.

"I can ride her, I know what I am dealing with" Mary spoke before Master Reynolds could reply.

"There is no time to waste, Mary" His voice was final and it seemed this was the way he spoke to his servants and they were expected to listen, but Mary was not one of his servants.

"I know it, and that is why I would be riding on my own" She held onto Master Reynolds hand and pushed herself on top of the horse. The mare seemed to not like the added weight, but Mary leaned towards its ear and whispered some words that were unheard by everyone else while gently rubbing its beautiful black mane. This seemed to calm her down and Mary urged her forward while Tom watched in slight annoyance. Though he would never say it or even admit it in his mind, he was quite impressed with her knowledge of horses.

The journey continued on. Although it was very uncomfortable because of the winds and the wetness, Mary was enjoying riding on Grey (what she had decided to call the horse, as nothing creative came to mind). She rode alongside Margaret and her companion, whom she found out was named Solomon. Solomon was a young man of two and twenty, and he was actually nice company. He was patient with Margaret and did everything possible to calm her down when she had a panic. Mary liked him and she was pleased that Margaret seemed to get along with him as well. Speaking with Margaret and Solomon, Mary's attention was divided and so when it unexpectedly thundered very loudly, Grey rose up on her hind legs, neighed and went into a furious gallop with Mary still on her back.

It was impossible to calm the horse down at this point and all Mary could do was wrap her hands around the horse tightly, and pray she would not fall to her death. The pounding of her heart drowned out all other noises, including her own screams for help, the ponding of horse hooves behind her, and someone shouting her name.

"Mary!" someone yelled and she turned her head to the side and saw Tom riding alongside her with his arms stretched out

"What are you waiting for? Grab onto me!" She didn't need to think twice before she did. In another time when everything was calm and she was dry, she would look back and wonder if that was a wise decision. Boleyn could have let her go and let her fall to her death in the pretense that he was trying to help her. That did not matter in this moment however, her life was on the line and she needed to act fast. She quickly latched her hand onto his and with incredible strength Tom was able to grab a hold of Mary and get her onto his stallion before coming to a stop.

He quickly assessed her to make sure that all was well. Mary was fine, she was only shaken up and the cold and her wet clothes only caused her to begin to shiver. Tom took off his outer cloak and put it around her, he made sure she was secure in front of him, before he continued riding, determined to get them to a place that was warm and dry.

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They were staying in a farmer's house. The servants had been secured in the barn and the farmer and his wife were generous enough to give Tom and Mary their own room, while they stayed in their children's room. The fire crackled loudly as Margaret combed out Mary's hair in an attempt to dry it. They had arrived at the house about twenty minutes after Tom had saved Mary, She was quickly taken in to be bathed in very warm water and changed into dry clothes. She was feeling much better now, and she only wished that Margaret would go and take care of herself. Her dear friend had insisted on helping her get situated before herself, and Mary had to force her to at least change into dry clothes.

"You must never ride that horse again my lady, I would not allow it" Margaret said for the thirtieth time and Mary smiled. This small incident was not stopping her from riding Grey again. She had a special bond with that horse, she could feel it.

"I have told you that I am perfectly fine, Marge" Mary told her

"Yes Madam, but only because Lord Shrewsbury is an excellent rider. I know we dislike him greatly, but I am thankful that he was there" Mary rolled her eyes. And now, she was sure she would not hear the end of it.

"I had everything under control" Mary said bitterly and Margaret looked at her with a raised eyebrow

"I'm sure you did my Lady, your death grip on the horse would have surely prevented you from falling to your death" Mary could not help but burst out laughing and Margaret joined her. She loved her friend because of how honest and blunt she was. Margaret was the only person Mary would allow to be sarcastic with her, she was the only one that saw the real her and it was good to have someone like that.

The door opened and the laughing stopped. Tom looked at the two women in the room and Margaret quickly curtsied deeply. With a nod of his head he dismissed Margaret and she curtsied once more to both Mary and Tom before leaving the room. Mary picked up the comb that Margaret had dropped and continued to comb out her hair. There was no looking glass in the farmer's room and so Mary had to do without one and she fixed her eyes on the corner of the room instead. She heard Tom moving around the room and the sound of garments hitting the floor and she felt her heart rate increase.

Mary did not know much about men, she had never lived in such close proximities as one. George had always been friend and that was it, he never saw her in her night dress and even though she knew Tom had seen her this way on the night of their wedding, they had been so concentrated on fooling their fathers that they did not think much about anything else. She felt quite exposed just sitting there in her chemise.

"Next time you listen to me" Tom said as he got into the bed. Mary looked up at him for the first time. He was wearing his linen shirt and his hair looked a lot tamer because it was damp as it was usually on the unruly side.

"I made a small mistake, there was no harm done" Mary said going back to working on her hair, now focused on a particular knot that refused to loosen up.

"Yes, no thanks to you" He sounded annoyed and Mary suddenly felt shame and her cheeks reddened as she realized she never thanked him for saving her. It was no small feat though, thanking your enemy, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

"I gave it away" Tom said before she could get the words out, but immediately they were forgotten as she digested his words.

"Gave who away, to whom?" Tom rolled his eyes

"I gave the horse to the farmer as compensation for letting us stay the night. She was useless anyway, a waste of my money"

Mary was lost for words. She honestly thought she was going to cry which was ridiculous because it hadn't even been her own horse and she had only ridden it for a few minutes.

"You shouldn't have done that, you should have asked me" Mary stood up annoyed, her hair still damp and tangled. Her voice was raised and her face red, and despite all this, the man on the bed only seemed to find her antics quite funny.

"Why must I consult you about selling my own horse? We have not even lived as a married couple for a full day yet and you already want to control everything." He chuckled again and Mary wanted to scream out of frustration and annoyance. She sat back down and turned her back to him and she continued working on her hair. He had just reminded her that she was married to him and she was absolutely annoyed and scared that the rest of her life would be like this. To not be able to make decisions for herself and to be constantly mocked by her so called husband.

She furiously worked on the knot, putting more force into it than necessary out of anger and pulling at her scalp, which actually hurt a lot. She sighed and almost gave up when she felt a hand collect the comb from her. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was, she had felt his rough hands and his close presence behind her. She kept quiet has she felt him easily try to fix what she had made worse.

Oddly enough, she was not uncomfortable, it was just weird to think about who had their hands in her hair and actually believe it was happening. It was sad really, her father had done this her; reduced her to the point where she did not have a retinue of ladies at her beck and call and was left with Boleyn!

"What is it between you and George?" He asked quietly. Mary's first reaction was to turn and look up at him, but he gently held her head in place.

"Nothing. As you already know he was a part of my household when we were young. Why do you ask me this?" She answered after a few seconds had passed.

"Why did he visit you today, what did he say?" _Where was this coming from?_ She wondered. What annoyed Mary the most was the urge she had to reply, she felt the need to clear her name from whatever accusation he had in his mind

"He wanted to say goodbye and he also wanted to wish me well" Her voice faltered at the end as she remembered that he had nearly kissed her. Tom was done with her hair and then he turned her around so she was facing him. Placing his hands on either side of her on the arms of the chair, he spoke lowly, but seriously

"I must remind you Mary that once we reach Tutbury, until you sign those papers, you are to receive no guests whatsoever, and no letter is to be sent without my reading it first. You are not going home, you are going to your prison, though it's very pretty, it is still your prison and it would remain so for as long as you remain stubborn"

He walked away from her and got back into bed, blowing out the candles on his side. Mary got up to blow out the candles on the other side of the bed, but refused to get in beside Tom. She walked back to the chair and sat down in the darkness. She would rather sleep on the wooden chair than next to him. Picking up her cloak that had been drying by the fire, she wrapped it around her shoulder and settled to sleep that way. When Tom didn't feel her beside him, he sat up to glance at her.

"You are doing yourself no good by sitting there" he told her, actually quite amused at how stubborn she could be, it was amazing really.

"That should be of no concern of yours. Good night" Mary said closing the subject and Tom not really bothered, only shrugged and went back to bed. He had a long day of riding tomorrow and he was not going to have her bother him.

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Tutbury Castle was beautiful, Tom calling it pretty did it no justice whatsoever but the fact that she was being brought here by no will of hers took the beauty away from the castle. Tutbury Castle was located in the small village of Tutbury and with it came vast amounts of land that was suitable for hunting, ponds for fishing and a very beautiful garden at the western part of the castle.

Mary stepped out of the carriage with a sore back, though she tried very hard to not let it show. Tom was leading her into her new home, or prison, which was how she saw it. All the servants and attendants had already lined up across the front steps in order to meet their new mistress.

An older woman stepped forward. She was a tall woman and quite plump as well. She had dark brown hair and kind brown eyes. Her smile was so very friendly and almost motherly. Attached to her leg was a little girl of about eight years old that Mary assumed was her daughter. The girl was blond and had pretty blue eyes, which she hid behind the woman's skirts.

"Mary, this is Mistress Sawyer, up until now it was her job to run the castle, now that you are here she would be here to help you in every step of the way." Mary smiled at the kind looking woman

"How are you Mistress Sawyer?" Mary asked warmly and the woman curtsied the best way she could with the little girl still hanging on to her

"Very well, thank you My Lady. You are most welcome to Tutbury" Mistress Sawyer replied.

"Mistress Sawyer is also a trained midwife, so she would be of help when the time eventually comes" Tom added and the woman beamed as he announced her credentials. Mary on the other hand looked at him as if he had said something truly disturbing. She cleared her throat nervously as she glanced back at Mistress Sawyer.

"Is this your daughter?" Mary asked getting off the subject

Mistress Sawyer brought the child forward and asked her to cutesy to the new lady of the house. The little girl did as she was told. Tom smiled at her and Mary thought she was precious.

"Not my daughter mam, but close enough. This is Matilda, my Lady." Matilda looked shyly at the ground when Mary looked at her.

"You are unusually shy today" Matilda looked up at Tom and smiled before looking at Mary

"I am happy you are here at Tutbury, my lady. I was anxiously awaiting your arrival" Matilda told Mary and that made her smile.

"Is that so, and why is that?" She asked

"I made you a present. I shall go get it" She quickly turned to run back into the house. Mistress Sawyer looked scandalized and she yelled at her to come back, but Matilda was going to get her present. Mary thought it quite amusing and she brushed off Mistress Sawyer's apologies as they finally entered the castle.

Mary took in her new home. It was grand, but not too flashy. There were portraits and beautiful tapestries around the walls. It was clean and everything looked quite organized.

The sound of running feet could be heard again and Matilda appeared with a piece of parchment in her hands. She went up to Mary and handed it to her. Mary looked at the parchment and saw that it was a drawing of flowers. Her heart warmed at the gesture and she smiled at the little girl.

"I would keep this with me at all times, thank you very much Matilda, I love it." Matilda beamed.

"Mistress Sawyer would show you to your rooms and give you a tour of the castle. I hope you find it to your liking as you will be spending a lot of time here" Tom said. Trust him to dampen her mood. Mary thought.

"I bid you ladies a good afternoon" Nodding at Mary and giving Matilda a small wink, he walked away and left them to their own devices.

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The tour of the castle ended when they arrived in front of her chambers. Mary and Margaret were led in by Mistress Sawyer. Halfway through the tour Matilda had wondered off somewhere else with Mistress Sawyer yelling at her not to leave the castle grounds. Mary thought the relationship the two had was absolutely hilarious because it reminded her of her years with Lady Salisbury at Ludlow. She knew she was not always well behaved and she had given her governess a hard time.

"I hope you find it to your liking madam" Mistress Sawyer said as Mary walked around the room. It was large, spacious, and quite beautiful. Mary smiled at the older woman. She was not one to be picky, this room was a step up from her rooms at Hatfield and the tower, so she was fine with this.

"This would do, Thank you Mistress Sawyer."

Mary inspected the room to begin to get familiar with it.

"Supper would be ready in a few hours" Mary acknowledged the woman with a nod as she looked into the closets and saw that her things had already been brought in. She noticed a door on the other side of the room and she walked towards it and opened it only to see a small dark corridor.

"That door leads to my lord Shrewsbury's chambers. It is a secret passage only for you and him" Mistress Sawyer said with a huge smile and Mary had to force one of her own. She wondered if the woman had any idea about the situation of their marriage. Once Mistress Sawyer left Mary and Margaret alone in the room, Mary wasted no time turning the lock of the door leading to Tom's room. She leaned on the door and sighed deeply.

"I am now in my prison" She said sliding to the ground "God help me"

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**That was a really long chapter. I hope you guys liked it. What do you guys think? Where did Matilda come from? How do you think Mary is going to like Tutbury? Leave your reviews, I love hearing your thoughts. Next chapter would be focused on the court and somebody special is going to make an appearance, can you guess who?**


	13. Chapter 12

Two weeks later

Hampton Court

Tom leaned against a large desk as he watched George fill his trunk. Things had become a bit strained between the two brothers and that didn't settle well with him. To Tom Boleyn, family was everything and no matter what, he always tried to settle all differences between himself and his siblings. After spending three days at Tutbury, Tom returned to court as he preferred to be in the capital, plus George was leaving for France in a matter of days and he wanted to be present when is brother departed for his ambassador duties. The king had recently made George the English ambassador in France, which was a great honor for their family, but also sad because they were bound to see less of him now.

"You have servants for that" Tom said, noting the obvious as said servant stood nervously in the corner of the room itching for his master to allow him do his job.

George looked to see his man servant standing in the corner and he slightly frowned at him. Suddenly adopting a voice that sounded very much like his uncles', the Duke of Norfolk, "Charlie, what are you still doing here? I gave you the afternoon off! Sailing to France is no small feat! What should I do to you when I need your assistance and you are not available because you decided to stand in my cambers and gawk at me?" The boy looked at him with wide eyes and Tom swore any second now he might start to cry

"Go on boy, leave!" Charlie, who was a skinny lad of fourteen, quickly shuffled out of the room. Tom laughed loudly, a bark like laughter that was quite contagious. George looked at is older brother and grinned.

"It is always enjoyable to mess with him" He said. He had not meant any of the yelling, Charlie was just a kid who took his job a bit too seriously and George liked to bug him for that. "The dimmest out of Edmund Howards' kids I think"

Tom smiled just a bit before his expression turned into one more serious. He was going to talk about what happened the last time that they had been together, but as he opened his mouth to speak, George beat him to it.

"I should apologize for how I spoke to you the last time" He played around with a linin shirt in his hands. A movement that Tom noticed and took to understand that what his brother was going to say next was not easy for him. "You are right. Mary is your wife and I have no business in your relationship or how you run your affairs. I just…" He paused and thought carefully about is words. "Growing up it was my duty to protect her and it is not easy to just let that go" His voice was sincere and it caused Tom to want to try and understand his brother's attachment to the Lady Mary. He nodded his head accepting the apology.

"I too should apologize for adding fuel to the fire" Tom told him. George smiled and threw the shirt in his hands into his trunk before picking up another pile of folded shirts.

"Has she settled well at Tutbury?" George asked and Tom shrugged

"She should have nothing to complain about" George knew his brother was telling the truth. Tutbury was beautiful and he knew that Tom's household was quite lovely as well, but he also knew that Mary might not really care for the beauty of the castle, she would feel imprisoned despite it all.

"She has met Tilda?" Tom nodded

"She does not know who she is to me" George was not so sure about that. Mary was very attentive and if she did not put it together before Tom left, he was sure she knew by now.

"George, I am not unkind to her. If anything I am frank with her. I do not sugarcoat my words, I do not really see her as a wife, but I am not unkind to her. She too does not hold back her tongue and I do not stop her from it, she is lucky I do not, she is quite stubborn." He mumbled that last part to himself as he folded his arms across his chest in annoyance and George smiled very slightly, that if Tom had not been looking closely at him he might have missed it.

"You loved her" He spoke up as the realization hit him. He straightened up and stared at George in awe. He loved Lady Mary. He loved their sister's rival. It was, it was unheard of. So that was why George had always acted the way he had towards Mary.

George on the other hand was taken aback by the sudden statement. He tried to find his voice but it seemed to be stuck somewhere in his throat. He looked down at the trunk in front of him before looking up at his brother again and continuing with his packing as if nothing important had just been said

"We were young. Children with childish feelings. I was nothing but a loyal subject"

"You still love her" Tom edged on.

George and Tom locked gazes and he shook his head.

"I care for her as a sister, as that is what she is to me now." He smiled to show he was not affected by the conversation "Besides I'm married to Jane. She is the one that I love" If George had been singing, those last few words would have fallen flat and killed the melody. His smile remained and Tom thought it best not to pry anymore.

"Is Jane to go with you to France?" George shook his head.

"Not this time." He said "This trip would be more about getting settled in France, knowing who my friends are versus my enemies. After I return for Christmas next year, Jane would go with me in the new year."

It was silent as George continued to pack and Tom decided to help him organize the papers on his desk and stuff them into the leather folder lying there. After a few minutes went by, Tom spoke to break the silence.

"I cut her thumb. The king wanted evidence and I knew father would as well. As much as you like to think, I am not a monster, George"

Though he tried to act like anything to do with Mary was none of his concern, George could not lie that he was not glad to hear this new piece of information. He looked at his brother hoping that he could see how grateful he was without him saying it. His joy was not only about Mary, but also about his brother. George realized that he was not completely lost after all.

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The king had called for a Privy Council meeting that morning and every member of the council, each of them being some of the most powerful men in all of England, sat around the large rectangular table listening intently to the king's secretary as he read out his planned proposal for parliament. The king (but really Cromwell) had come up with the idea to look into the monasteries and begin to dissolve them. In his research Cromwell had found that some of these monks and nuns were living lives with income he believed they shouldn't have. All this was greed and not acceptable in the house of God, but George, Tom and the other reformers in the room could see through Cromwell's well-manicured speech. Protestantism was about to make its full entrance. The kings break with the pope and Rome did nothing to change the religion still practiced in England, it became exactly that, a church in England with no ties with Rome. The Church in England simply became the Church of England with the king as the new head.

"You want to get rid of the monasteries? And do what with the monks and nuns?" Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk asked quite irritated. Everyone knew he didn't like Thomas Cromwell very much.

"There is nothing in the bible that says men and women must live in celibacy for life. I however remember it saying 'be fruitful and multiply'" Tom said more in defense of his belief than Cromwell. He really had no feelings for the man. He was friends with Anne and their father, but there was something about him that just rubbed him the wrong way. George says that Cromwell is just very misunderstood, and he thought he was ambitious and selfish, but he was very passionate about the reformation of the church, something they all had in common.

"Have married priest?" Northumberland questioned. The idea was foreign, the priest was supposed to be pure, asexual.

"And for God's sake no more Latin, God understands English I am sure" Norfolk said. A series of arguments broke out from every end of the table. Everyone debating on the ideals of the Church of England. Though they had all signed the acts of supremacy, many of them still held onto catholic beliefs, it was not an easy thing to just throw out the window. Henry listened quietly as his council argued amongst themselves with Cromwell being unable to get them to settle down. He knew that he needed to set some concrete rules and laws of the new church, he and Anne had been talking about it and she had been giving him many great ideas. He brought his head out of his musings and frowned at his unruly privy councilmen.

"ENOUGH!"

At the sound of the king's voice everyone ceased to speak. It was now so very quiet in the room that a feather would make a sound if it dropped.

"We must establish a new doctrine, I am aware of that" He looked at Cromwell "I need Archbishop Cranmer here as soon as possible" Cromwell noted the kings request and Henry continued

"As for the monasteries, Mister Cromwell go ahead and take your research to parliament, tell them I am in full support of this movement. I want every land, jewel, and money ceased to be brought back to the royal treasury, so that we might sell it to more deserving subjects."

"Your majesty" George spoke up "I fear going in this way might cause the people to be unhappy"

"They have not complained about the change of the church, they are in full support of the Church of England and would not question the king" Cromwell said and George could hear Charles Brandon snort beside him.

"Rochford has a point" Tom spoke up "What is the plan for the dissolution?"

"We go in and tear it down" Sir Richard Rich stated and Tom gawked at how stupid that sounded. They could not be serious, could they?

"No show for the public? They would take this personally. Much like you Mister Cromwell to not thi-"

"Suffolk!" Henry glared at his best friend and Charles muttered an apology before staring Cromwell down. Cromwell looked smug in his spot at the other end of the table. Henry was going to address the new situation, when his page boy entered the room looking very shocked and pale.

"Do you not see that I am busy?!" Henry snapped. The boy fell to his knees

"Forgive me your majesty, but I…I didn't know what to do. The princess…the dowager princess….she's here" For the second time that afternoon it became deathly quiet in the pricy chamber. Tom and George shared a glance before turning to look at their father and uncle, who both looked suspicious.

"Dowager Princess of Wales? Catherine?" Henry stood up as he spoke, not quite sure whether he should be concerned or not

"Yes, your majesty, the former queen. She's here and she requested an audience"

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Boom! Had to end it there, it was just asking for it. I hope you liked this chapter, I realize that it's not super eventful, more like a history lesson. I tried to incorporate some of the things I myself just learnt in class and I hope you guys like it. If I missed something, I'm sorry, wasn't striving to be super accurate. lol. One person guessed that the special guest might be Catherine and you were right! Catherine is here to plead for Mary, so hopefully Henry hears her out. P.s Edmund Howard didn't have a dim witted son named Charlie, I wouldn't know that. He did have a son names Charles, so I sort of just picked him from a list of names. I really hope you leave me your reviews, they make me abandon home work, so I can update


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